Note 4: Cohabitation Agreement
Vines intertwined layer upon layer, leaves rustling softly, as sunlight pierced through the gaps, falling into her icy pupils.
She stared at her, and she framed her.
[Name: Pei Yuan]
[Heart Rate: 114 BPM ↑]
[Danger Rating: Medium ↑]
[Action Prediction: Close-range disarm 50.2% | Retreat and evade 31.4% | Take target hostage 9.8%]
Sniper Lock
Unit 1: Head [Locked]
Unit 2: Heart [Locked]
Unit 3: Abdomen [Locked]
Unit 12: Wrist [Locked]
Status: Awaiting Orders
The muzzle pressed against her jaw, the metallic chill embedding into her skin, forcing Pei Yuan’s chin up slightly.
“Miss Pei is much calmer than I expected,” Cen Zhixu said softly, “I originally thought you would be afraid.”
Cen Zhixu leaned in closer, the tip of her nose brushing along Pei Yuan’s neck line, inching upward with a lingering, hesitant closeness.
“Little dog, will you be afraid? Will you, because of me, tremble?”
Her breath was warm and slightly damp, her words wrapped in an undertone, grazing past Pei Yuan’s earlobe.
Pei Yuan burst into a sudden laugh, her larynx moving beneath the muzzle, the tremor passing through the metal straight to Cen Zhixu’s fingertips.
Smiling, she spoke: “Miss Cen must have known from the test report that I am an outsider.”
“The outside is not as orderly as the White Tower. It is fine inside the city-states, where rules can still manage to keep things in line.”
Pei Yuan shrugged. “But out in the wasteland, oh god, that really is a chaotic place.”
“You never know whose neck your head will be twisted off by, whether it is beasts, mercenaries, scavengers, or a bounty hunter from who knows where.”
“So, to be honest.”
Her tone was light and breezy. “Having something ice-cold pressed against my neck is not really anything new to me.”
“However,” Pei Yuan curved her eyelashes, “if this thing is held in Miss Cen’s hands, perhaps it is even rather novel?”
She leaned forward an inch, letting the muzzle sink deeper into the skin of her neck.
Pei Yuan tilted her head, her eyes bright.
The distance between the two was so close that even their killing intent was wrapped in a sticky sugar coating. The scent of white irises drifted amidst the cold metallic aura, wispy and threadlike, sweet and humid.
“Truly,” Cen Zhixu smiled faintly, her fingertip tapping lightly on the trigger, “unruly and out of bounds.”
The muzzle shifted an angle, sliding down along the neckline, brushing past the edge of Pei Yuan’s collar, and pressing against the position of her heart.
Thump, thump, thump.
The heartbeat vibrated against the metal, steady and powerful.
“Miss Cen, what about this?” Pei Yuan suddenly reached out, covering Cen Zhixu’s hand that held the gun.
Her palm fit against the back of the hand, wrapping around the finger bones, slowly folding her grasp into her own palm. “Does this not make things even more unruly, lacking all sense of proportion and restraint?”
Cen Zhixu paused slightly. That was a pair of slender, distinct-jointed hands, the knuckles covered in hard calluses.
When they touched her, there was a subtle roughness.
Cen Zhixu had seen her peeling oranges: her thumb would pinch into the peel, and with a slight exertion, a fine slit would break open, sinking into the soft, juicy pulp beneath.
The pulp would tremble under the pressure, juice seeping out along that force, staining her fingertips, sticky and wet.
The muzzle still pressed against Pei Yuan’s heart, yet the one holding the gun was held in the palm of another.
“Miss Cen, you have given me too much today.” Pei Yuan’s smile was lazy.
“Your condition, your ambition, your muzzle,” she counted them one by one, “added together, these carry quite a bit of weight.”
“If I agreed to you right now, it would mean I am either stupid or in a rush.”
The corners of Pei Yuan’s eyes curved, yet her gaze never left Cen Zhixu; instead, she grew even bolder, pressing closer.
“Stupid people are not worth cooperating with, and impatient people make mistakes sooner or later. Neither is fit to stand behind Miss Cen, is that right?”
Cen Zhixu raised her eyelashes: “You certainly have a sweet mouth.”
Pei Yuan said: “Of course. Not only is my mouth sweet, but my head works well too. So I hope Miss Cen will allow me to think one step further.”
“First, I must confirm that this transaction is two-way; second, I need to weigh and understand my own value.”
“Third, I want to figure out whether it is this transaction itself that attracts me, or something else entirely.”
“Give me one night.”
“Tomorrow,” she said, “I will give you a definite reply.”
Nine o’clock in the evening, Sector 6.
With a crisp ding, the door of the bar was pushed open, and a cool night breeze stepped inside along with a pair of long legs.
A bartender was wiping a champagne flute, smiling sweetly: “What can I get for you?”
Pei Yuan sat down at the counter.
Pushing her hood back, her slightly wavy long hair fell loose as she pointed at the menu: “I will take this.”
“Alright, please wait a moment,” the bartender winked playfully at her. “Such a pretty face, why hide it?”
Pei Yuan was noticeably stunned for a moment.
“It is cold outside,” she looked away apathetically. “The drink, please hurry.”
Ice cubes dropped into the shaker with a crisp sound. Rum and fresh orange juice were poured in together, blending into a warm orange hue.
Clack.
The base of the glass landed on the counter, its rim rimmed with fine salt, a half-moon orange peel resting on top.
Pei Yuan picked up the glass and took a sip.
The entry was a slightly acidic, sweet fruity aroma that slid past the root of her tongue before a trace of burning aftertaste floated up.
[Citrus Rum]
So this is what my pheromone smells like?
Pei Yuan thought nonchalantly: At least it should smell a little better than a moldy orange.
Probably.
The system’s voice sounded: “Coming to Sector 6 at night and spending the equivalent of three days’ salary on a cocktail, your trajectory is truly unpredictable.”
Pei Yuan sipped her drink leisurely: “I told you, I am occasionally a person with a lot of flair.”
“Besides, I am about to go on a date, collaboration, or cohabitation with the highest-level classified personnel of the White Tower.”
“Well, I am not too clear either.”
Leaning halfway against the bar counter, she lazily played with her long hair: “In any case, I have decided to elevate my taste and style.”
The system said: “You have accepted Miss Cen’s proposal?”
“Mhm,” Pei Yuan replied. “Rather than calling it a decision, it is more like I did not find a reason to refuse.”
The system said: “Since you have already decided, why not just agree to her directly?”
Pei Yuan twirled the glass, letting the ice cubes roll against the walls of the cup, making a crisp, fragmented clatter:
“Because apart from a madman, no one pushes all their chips out into the middle before even seeing their cards.”
“Miss Cen is not one.”
“And neither am I.”
Pei Yuan took another sip, her eyes half-closed: “A trace of alcohol actually helps me stay a bit clearer, making it easier to think.”
The system asked: “When Miss Cen revealed her information to you, she also used deterrence against you. Did that cause you pressure?”
“Pressure? Do you mean fear or terror?” Pei Yuan shook her head. “Not really.”
Actually, as early as in the cloud ladder, she had already discovered that Cen Zhixu had hidden a gun under the blanket.
It was just that she truly had not expected that gun to end up pressed against her own neck.
Pei Yuan rubbed the rim of the glass as water droplets slid down, dampening her fingertips, and she let out a laughing sigh:
“But there is one thing I must admit.”
“Miss Cen really is a charming woman, is she not?”
Pei Yuan weighed the wine glass between two fingers, tilting it at an angle and lifting it up to her eyes.
The glass tilted, shifting and refracting light and shadow. Through the swaying liquid, her own eyes could be seen.
Her pupils were dyed by the color of the wine, trapped behind the glass; deep amber, reflecting the burning candlelight on the counter.
Her ambition makes her even more fascinating.
The sunlight was bright, the cloud ladder rising in a straight line as the city retreated inch by inch beneath their feet, quietly covered by clouds.
Pei Yuan watched the numbers climb rapidly and swallowed: “Miss Cen, you really are going to a lot of trouble for this.”
Cen Zhixu stood at her side, her silver hair hanging down, leaving only a cold, sharp profile: “Hm?”
Pei Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly: “I was just wondering what kind of bad things a cowardly little corporate employee like me could have possibly done to be personally escorted by you to the higher-ups of the White Tower.”
Cen Zhixu turned her head: “Escorted?”
Pei Yuan gave a dry cough: “I mean, honored to accompany you.”
The cloud ladder stopped shortly after.
The long corridor extended forward, guards on both sides standing still in unison, lowering their heads in a bow: “Good day, Officer.”
Cen Zhixu nodded slightly, her voice gentle: “Mhm.”
Pei Yuan lagged half a step behind, looking left and right, following her all the way into the office.
The Beta assistant looked displeased, reluctantly guiding Pei Yuan to the reception area and dropping a stack of documents down with a loud thud.
“Confidentiality agreement. The digital version is in your email, and your leave has already been approved for you. Take the whole day and read it slowly.”
The assistant turned around and left, closing the door behind her.
Pei Yuan looked down, and the stack of paper was absurdly thick, capable of doubling as a brick.
She flipped open the cover, looked at the dense, tiny words inside, felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and almost fell asleep on the spot.
The very next second, Pei Yuan cleanly and decisively flipped straight to the final page and signed her name.
Cen Zhixu spoke indifferently: “Signing an important contract after only reading three lines is not a very good habit.”
Pei Yuan pushed the document forward, her expression innocent: “It is fine. I believe that the respectable, dignified, and high-ranking Miss Cen would not scam an honest person like me.”
She straightened up, folding her hands neatly in her lap. If one ignored the mischief hidden in her eyes, she really looked like an exemplary student waiting for praise from a teacher.
“Well then, happy cooperation.” Pei Yuan flashed an overly well-behaved smile, intentionally putting weight on her pronunciation:
“Miss Chief.”
Cen Zhixu’s hand turning the pages paused.
A moment later, she closed the file, her tall boots stepping across the floor with a steady clack, stopping right beside Pei Yuan.
Cen Zhixu crossed her arms and leaned down toward her.
Her long hair slid down from her shoulder, the tips grazing past Pei Yuan’s ear and cheek, leaving behind a faint, teasing itch.
The cool fragrance of white iris quietly bloomed.
Serene and alluring.
A fingertip landed on her neck, grazing softly before sliding all the way up along the neckline, stopping at her jaw. With a slight curl of her index finger, she lifted Pei Yuan’s chin.
Pei Yuan was forced to raise her head, while Cen Zhixu lowered her eyelashes, pressing her thumb against Pei Yuan’s lips.
“Happy cooperation.”
Cen Zhixu’s voice was gentle, so close it felt like she was kissing her eyelashes. “My little Alpha girlfriend.”
Her thumb pressed down lightly, leaving a small, ambiguous indentation on the soft flesh of her lips.
“Or should I say, my little dog?”