novelraw Chapter 107: First Visit
Chapter 107: First Visit
The Liu Mansion felt very different this morning. The heavy, fearful atmosphere of hidden threats and unspoken anxieties had been swept away, replaced by the scent of tea and the sound of Mo Li humming in the kitchen.
But for Mo Chou, the tension had simply shifted from a tactical nature to a social one—which, in her opinion, was far more nerve-wracking than disarming a bomb.
Lu Jinhai—the man who had been her shadow and her most complicated protector—was coming over. And he wasn’t coming as the Lu empire’s heir or the mysterious Evan. He was coming through the front door as himself.
"Mo Chou, if you pace any faster, you’re going to wear a hole on our rug," Liu Dai remarked, leaning against the doorframe of the lounge.
He had finally managed to fix his hair, though his eyes still carried the faint puffiness of a man who had faced an immense scare. He was back to his usual self, clutching a tablet and tracking the morning’s shifts in the stock market with the focus of a hawk.
"I’m not pacing. I’m... just stretching my muscles," Mo Chou muttered, stopping abruptly and smoothing out her clothes.
"You’re nervous," Liu Dai noted, a small, rare smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Is it because of that Lu boy? I saw the news. If he’s truly ’Evan,’ he’s just become the most formidable player in the domestic market. Why he’s coming here instead of managing the literal collapse of his mother’s legacy is beyond me."
"He’s coming because he owes me donuts," Mo Chou said firmly, though her heart gave a traitorous, frantic thump at the distinct sound of a car pulling into the gravel driveway.
---
The doorbell rang with a crisp sound alerting everyone of the guests arrival.
Mo Li rushed to the door, her face glowing with a warmth that had been missing for far too long. "I’ll get it! It must be Jinhai. We must make him feel welcome!"
Mo Chou stood in the foyer, flanked by her two brothers like a pair of elite bodyguards. On her left, ’Liu Dai’ stood with his arms crossed, his "Cold CEO" mask firmly in place, radiating an aura of judgment. On her right, ’Reaper’ leaned against the wall in a deceptively relaxed posture, his eyes narrowed with a cold, calculating gleam.
Mo Li swung the door open.
Lu Jinhai stood on the porch, looking like a model in a charcoal-grey suit that screamed quiet wealth. He had gone to extra lengths and meticulously styled himself. Even his hair was done to perfection.
In one hand, he held a massive, artfully arranged bouquet of white lilies and peonies for Mo Li; in the other, a familiar, branded box of gourmet donuts.
"Madam Liu," Jinhai said, bowing with a grace that felt entirely natural. "Thank you for inviting me. I’m very glad to see you looking so well after the... excitement at the mall."
"Oh, Jinhai! You’re such a gentleman," Mo Li chirped, accepting the flowers with a flush of delight. "Come in, please! You’ve met everyone, haven’t you? Though I suppose the circumstances are a bit more relaxed today."
Lu Jinhai stepped into the foyer and immediately hit a wall of hostility.
He looked at Liu Dai, who offered a nod so stiff it looked physically painful. Then his gaze shifted to Reaper. The two men locked eyes, and for a moment, the air in the foyer felt thin. It was a silent conversation between two predators.
"Reaper," Lu Jinhai said, his voice smooth as polished obsidian. "I hear you’ve been working as a ’Detective’ nowadays. Hope you take care of yourself, it’s a risky profession after all."
"Evan," Reaper replied, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in the small space. "I hear you’ve been doing some impressive things... such as aggressive restructuring. I hope you didn’t leave any loose ends."
Reaper had told everyone that he was a ’detective’, hence why he was able to ’save’ Mo Chou from the mall the other day.
The air between them practically hissed with static. Mo Chou stepped decisively between them, snatching the donut box from Lu Jinhai’s hand before Reaper could find a reason to "inspect" it for weapons.
"Okay! Enough staring. My brothers are just practicing their ’overprotective’ faces for their upcoming theater acting auditions. They’re very bad at it," she said, giving Lu Jinhai a pointed look that screamed ’Don’t you dare start a fight in my living room.’
---
The group moved to the formal sitting room, a space usually reserved for high-level business meetings or holiday gatherings. Mo Li bustled away to prepare tea and snacks, leaving Mo Chou alone in the middle of the ’firing zone’.
Liu Qiang joined them moments later. He didn’t say a word initially; he simply watched Lu Jinhai with the quiet, observant intensity of a retired lion watching a young challenger enter the pride’s territory.
"So, Lu Jinhai," Liu Dai started, tapping his fingers against his tablet with a rhythmic, annoying ’click’. "Or should I address you as Evan? You’ve effectively neutralized the Shadow Council by absorbing the Lu Group’s assets in under six hours."
Lu Jinhai sat back, his posture relaxed despite the four pairs of eyes dissecting his every move. "You can call me Jinhai, President Liu. And yes, the takeover was a necessity. Some weeds need to be pulled out by the root before they choke the entire garden. My mother... was a very stubborn weed."
"And what happens to the garden now?" Liu Qiang asked suddenly. "Now that you have cleared the field and burned the old order to the ground?"
Lu Jinhai turned his full attention to Liu Qiang. There was no arrogance in his gaze, only sincerity and respect that seemed to appease the older man. "The garden is finally under new management, Chairman. I have no interest in running the Shadow Council. My goal is stability. Growth. And... the absolute protection of what matters."
His eyes flickered to Mo Chou for a fraction of a second—a look so brief and intense it made her breath hitch.
Reaper scoffed quietly from his corner, though the edge of his hostility had dulled slightly. "Protection is a big word for someone who just started a corporate world war. Wars have casualties."
"It’s a big world, Detective," Jinhai shot back, his eyes flashing with fire. "Sometimes you have to burn the old world down just to earn the right to build a peaceful one."
---
An hour later, the "Interrogation Committee" had been thoroughly dismantled by Mo Li’s endless supply of ’tasty’ homemade snacks and Lu Jinhai’s impeccable manners. Even Liu Dai had succumbed, drawn into a complex discussion about market projections. Plus anyone who managed to eat Mo Li’s creations with an unwavering smile deserved some slack.
Mo Chou stepped out onto the balcony to feel some fresh air. The evening was cool, smelling of damp earth and jasmine. A few minutes later, the glass door creaked open, and Lu Jinhai joined her, leaning against the railing.
"Your brothers are... quite the characters," Lu Jinhai remarked, looking genuinely exhausted for the first time.
"You’re lucky Reaper didn’t try to ’test your reflexes’ in the foyer," Mo Chou laughed, leaning her head back to look at the stars. "And you’re lucky my Dad is in a forgiving mood. He knows exactly who you are, Jinhai. He knows the Dragon saved his daughter."
Lu Jinhai looked at her, the golden light from the lounge spilling across his face. "I didn’t do it for the Liu family. I didn’t even do it for the empire. I did it because, the idea of a world where you aren’t around to annoy me... it wasn’t a world I was willing to let happen."
Mo Chou felt that familiar, searing heat rise to her cheeks. She nudged him sharply with her elbow. "Don’t get all poetic on me now. You’re still in a massive amount of trouble for all the stunts you pulled. I could have helped you."
"I know," he sighed, a genuine, boyish smile breaking through his serious facade. He reached out, his fingers grazing hers on the railing, a silent question in the touch. "But seeing you here, alive and happy... it was worth every second of the trouble."
From the window inside, Reaper and Liu Qiang watched the two figures on the veranda.
"He’s good for her," Liu Qiang whispered, almost to himself. "He’s the only one who can keep up with her pace."
"He’s a menace," Reaper muttered, though he made no move to separate them. "But he’s a menace who knows how to hold a line. I’ll give him that much."
Bao Bao, the kitten darted between Reaper’s feet, chasing a stray piece of ribbon. Reaper looked down, sighed a long-suffering sigh, and reached down to pick the kitten up by the scruff, tucking the tiny, purring creature into the crook of his massive, scarred arm.
The war was over. The masks were put away. And for the first time in two lives, the future didn’t look like a series of endless missions —it finally looked like home.
⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡