"So it really is Director Nian! Last night Su Yi was watching your movies with me!" Exusiai said warmly.
Texas: …?
You walked in two seconds ago with the full "legal wife catching the mistress" aura. How did you switch sides and defect this fast?
"Oh?" Nian immediately perked up. "Which one did you watch?"
"Uh…" Exusiai froze.
She couldn't exactly say, It was so bad my brain triggered a self-defense mechanism and I forgot the title, could she?
Su Yi—who also had no desire to revisit the experience—timed the save perfectly.
"We watched the best one you've ever made," he said smoothly. "But in my opinion, your best film will always be your next one."
"Well said. Beautifully said!" Nian beamed. "This deserves a drink!"
In all her years rampaging through Terra's film scene, when had Nian ever heard praise like that? She was so thoroughly buttered up she turned into a puddle on the spot—forgetting entirely that she'd been about to press them on which film they'd watched.
After they'd eaten and drunk their fill, Su Yi stood up to pay. Texas and Exusiai also prepared to leave with him.
Right then—
A slender but strong arm draped itself over Su Yi's shoulder.
Nian hooked him in, leaning half her weight against him—cheek pressed to cheek, brows nearly touching—then belched, drunk as a skunk.
"Hic! Su Yi, I'm officially acknowledging you as my little brother. From now on, if you ever need any weapons forged, come straight to me!"
Su Yi assumed she was just drunk and humored her. "Sure, sure. Come on, let's step outside and get some air."
Behind them, Exusiai kept muttering like a broken record. "Texas, look at her. Look at her! Who hugs someone on the very first meeting? Even I haven't hugged him!"
Texas gave a low chuckle.
Outside the hotpot restaurant, the cold wind hit them head-on. Su Yi instantly felt much clearer—and so did Nian.
She shifted half a step away, straightened her clothes, and asked casually, "Hey, little brother. Want to come to my place for New Year's Eve dinner this year?"
"I'm an outsider. Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Su Yi tried to refuse politely.
"It's fine," Nian said, her tone flat. "I've been eating New Year's Eve dinner alone for years anyway."
"Alone? Don't you have eleven siblings?"
"They all have their own business. Besides, our lifespans are too long—getting everyone together for one meal a year is a hassle. And the Sui Bureau doesn't allow us siblings to gather in one place."
A trace of loneliness crossed Nian's face. "I can't even remember the last time we were all together."
Su Yi's heart softened. He turned back to Texas and Exusiai.
"Penguin Logistics doesn't have anything planned for New Year's Eve, right? Can you two make time?"
It was just one meal with someone. What was there to be afraid of?
—(A surge of powerful background music)—
Having inherited the late emperor's will, how can I halt and retreat? Mm-mm-mm—ha! I, Wei Yan, advance only—never withdraw!
"We do," Exusiai said flatly, giving absolutely no face. "We're busy all day."
"Got it." Su Yi turned back to Nian. "I'll come over after I'm done."
Exusiai: ????
I said we have plans. I said we're busy. This is your first New Year since joining Penguin Logistics!
"Director Nian," Texas cut in calmly, "if you'll be alone, why don't you come celebrate with Penguin Logistics instead?"
Don't misunderstand—she wasn't being charitable. She simply didn't want Penguin Logistics understaffed on New Year's Eve.
"Oh!" Nian blinked like the obvious answer had just arrived. "Right! Then I'll come to your place on New Year's Eve. Done deal! Bye-bye!"
With that, she flicked her sleeve and walked away—taking not even a wisp of cloud with her.
"Her skin is thick," Exusiai grumbled.
Her impression of Nian was like a drop tower ride: rocketing upward one second, plummeting the next.
First meeting and she was already grabbing and hugging—zero feminine reserve.
"If you ever decide to break into show business," Texas told Su Yi, "you would not pick a director this bad."
"Obviously." Su Yi explained, "She's a Feranmut. I went to see her because I wanted her to confirm what I am."
"And it didn't help," Texas said. "You still don't know."
"Yeah." Su Yi sighed. "The Emperor says I'm not a Beast Lord. Nian says I'm not a Feranmut. So what exactly am I?"
He'd thought he was closing in on his origins. Instead, it was just another dead end.
"Wait—she's a Feranmut?" Exusiai stared. "There's a Feranmut hiding in Lungmen?!"
"To be precise," Su Yi corrected, "she's one-twelfth of a Feranmut."
"That's still insane!" Exusiai protested. "Texas and I have lived over twenty years and we've only ever seen one Beast Lord—the Emperor!"
She felt utterly cheated by reality. Most people could spend their whole lives without catching a single trace of a Feranmut.
Su Yi, on the other hand—he'd barely learned he might be some kind of humanoid Feranmut, and immediately afterward he'd found an actual humanoid Feranmut—an extremely beautiful one, at that.
[Irrefusable Overwhelming Luck]
"Correction," Texas said. "I've seen two."
She looked to Exusiai. "Before I came to Lungmen, I encountered another Beast Lord."
"Wha—why is it that you two can meet whoever you want, whenever you want," Exusiai fumed, "but when I try to find Mostima, I can't find her no matter what?!"
Lord above! That's not fair at all!
Fine. I'm not praying today.
"Because she's deliberately avoiding you," Texas said.
She'd helped Exusiai try to catch Mostima before, but Mostima's Originium Arts seemed able to interfere with space-time—so the failure had been inevitable.
"Who's Mostima?" Su Yi asked.
"You didn't tell him?" Texas asked Exusiai in return.
"Ah! I forgot," Exusiai said, irritated. "It's Mostima's fault—she's been gone for so long."
She took a breath and explained.
"Mostima is a Sankta with horns—one who's already fallen. A few years ago, after she brought my older sister back severely injured, she disappeared. I followed her trail all the way here to Lungmen because I need the truth about what happened back then."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Su Yi—if you run into her, you have to, you absolutely have to help me catch her."
"No problem," Su Yi said at once.
As for when they'd actually catch her…
That depended on when [Irrefusable Overwhelming Luck] decided to kick in.
…
…
"Ugh—ahh…!"
Out on the vast, boundless wasteland, the two staffs in Mostima's hands suddenly shuddered violently.
"Mostima, what is it?!" the Liberi beside her immediately raised her hand cannon, scanning the surroundings.
"I don't know," Mostima said. "Fia—your old man just got excited all of a sudden."
"My name is Fiammetta!" Fiammetta snapped back.
Then, her imagination took a sharp left turn.
"You didn't sneak off at night and use the black shackle and white key behind my back, did you…?"
Given the size and the vibration, it was hard not to make the association.
"Relax—definitely not," Mostima said with a teasing smile. "If I did, I'd share one with you. Or what—are you secretly lonely and itching to try it?"
"Move." Fiammetta cut her off. "We need to keep going. Lungmen's almost in sight."
Then she rummaged through her gear and produced a small cake, turning her face away as she offered it.
"Almost forgot. It's the twelfth today—your birthday. There's nothing out here in the wilds, so… make do."
Mostima paused, stunned for a beat—then smiled.
"Thank you."
....
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