"I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your offer.”

I wasn’t surprised that senpai turned him down. After all, Lin Ziye was trying to poach only her, and she was already tightly bound up with Qiuluo by owner Yuwen—she couldn’t just ditch them and risk getting her sister fired.

Sure enough, the moment she refused, Qiuluo let out a sigh of relief.

But Lin Ziye couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. “Why not? I can offer you better pay. You’ve only worked at that manga café for what, a few days? What’s holding you back?”

“I really like my current part-time job,” she said firmly. “I don’t plan on changing anytime soon. Besides, I’m still just a total newbie—hardly worth all this attention.”

She returned his business card with a calm, decisive air. It was a textbook rejection.

Meanwhile, that girl named Sharo hadn’t said a word the entire time, like Lin Ziye’s business didn’t concern her in the slightest. She was laser-focused on gnawing away at her chicken wings.

By the way, her haircut was something else—every strand was cut in a perfectly flat line, from her bangs to the sides to the back. It looked like she’d taken a machete to her hair.

Noticing me staring, she shielded her chicken box like it was a treasure chest and glared at me.

“What’re you looking at? I’m not sharing.”

She had the vibe of a wild jackal guarding its kill.

“No, no, I wasn’t gonna ask for any…” I mumbled.

Anyway, Lin Ziye, though clearly dissatisfied, slumped off in defeat. The whole thing played out like a prime-time soap—an innocent girl from a humble background standing firm and rejecting the advances of a rich playboy.

Now that we were sure they weren’t hired thugs, we still had the main problem to deal with: how to pry senpai away from her overly clingy older sister.

To that end, Xiao Lei trotted behind them, calling out “Senior~ Senior~” like a loyal puppy, trying to butter up Qiuluo with cutesy antics. While the security team and Zhao Zhao had a complicated history, Qiuluo didn’t seem to hate her. In fact, she looked like she was on the verge of giving in.

But no dice in the end.

“I just can’t leave her,” Qiuluo insisted. “Precisely because those thugs are afraid of the owner and me… it makes someone like little Changpu a more likely target.”

Yeah… if she comes with us, she won’t be a target—she’ll just vanish entirely.

This one was tough. Xiao Lei and even senior herself couldn’t sway her. By now, we were nearly at the exit of the pedestrian area. If this didn’t work, we’d have to drop the act and come clean.

“Looks like the danger’s passed. I’ll leave it to you from here,” said Lu Le, finishing his job as an escort for the ladies. “Gotta take care of something else. See you around, Miss Lingmeng.”

“Oh! And don’t forget my fan shirt!” Xiao Lei shouted. “Size M!”

“No problem!” he waved, disappearing with dramatic flair.

Honestly, he really came through this time. I wonder what job he’s working now?

It was getting chilly on the bridge in just a single layer of clothing.

We were nearly at the bridge when senior panicked even harder. “Chang Kai—Lingmeng—what do I do? We’re almost at the ‘changing room’!”

“Is your sister ox zodiac or something? Why is she this stubborn?” I muttered, then sighed. “Looks like we’ll have to tell her the truth.”

“No! I’m not ready yet!”

She said it loud enough that Qiuluo turned around, clearly suspicious.

“I’ll sneak down under the bridge and change. Can you and the divine emissary stall her for me?”

“No way!” Xiao Lei shook her head furiously. “You want the two of us to hold off your sister? We can’t even take her one-on-one!”

I backed her up. “And if you disappear, she’s gonna freak out. You really wanna make her worry like that?”

“Then Lingmeng… is there a way I can escape without making her worry?”

So in the end, she’s counting on me—this genius protagonist—for the solution!

“There is. It’s simple, really. We just run away. All of us. Then she’ll know you’re not alone and won’t be as worried.”

They both looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You’re suggesting we outrun someone from an elite security unit?”

“Do you think you can outrun your sister?” I shot back.

“Of course not.”

“Then hear me out…”

“Sis Qiuluo, my stomach’s acting up… I need to use the restroom under the bridge.”

Senpai blushed hard as she said it.

Just to be clear, that excuse was all hers. I only told her to come up with a reason to go grab her clothes.

“There’s a restroom under the bridge?”

“There is, there is.”

“I’ll come with you—”

Oh no you don’t.

Xiao Lei and I immediately flanked her, one on each side.

I used a little… tactical positioning, shall we say, to lock down her right arm.

“Even grade schoolers can go alone these days, Sis Qiuluo. If you follow her in, she might start resenting you.”

Xiao Lei chimed in, “Yeah, cling too much and you’ll push her away~”

“Huh? Really?”

I kept the pressure on. “Haven’t you noticed? She gets super stiff and awkward when you’re around.”

“Now that you mention it… Lingmeng, do you think I’m overstepping too?”

Bingo. She’s second-guessing.

“Being tailed by her boyfriend’s big sister like this—even if it’s well-meaning—can get pretty overwhelming, especially for younger girls. People these days really value their personal space. A lot of girls won’t even let their dad into their room.”

“That’s true…So she is Jianlian’s girlfriend after all!” she beamed with sudden realization.

Welp. No choice but to roll with that now.

“Yep! But right now you’re kinda barging into her personal space bubble. She might not realize it, but deep down, it’s going to make her push you away—and that could hurt her relationship with your brother. Is that what you want?”

She shook her head so hard her heavy ponytail whipped into her own face.

She bought it!

“So how about you take a step back? Let us escort her home—we live nearby.”

Appeal to logic and emotion. Classic move.

But she countered, “But didn’t you just meet her today?”

Oh crap—I forgot that detail.

“We’re friends through Xiao Lei! I’ve heard so much about senior from her that it’s basically like we’ve known each other forever. Love at first sight, but for friendship!”

Qiuluo turned to Xiao Lei, raising an eyebrow.

Xiao Lei nodded furiously. “Yup yup! And I told senior all about C—Lingmeng too~”

“…No. If she really is Jianlian’s girlfriend, that’s all the more reason I can’t relax! Even if she ends up hating me, I have to make sure she gets home safe!”

And just like that, her motivation shifted—from “following the owner’s orders” to “protecting her precious future sister-in-law.” Now she was even more fired up!

I sighed. Well, convincing her would be ideal—but if not, we’ll just have to proceed with the backup plan.

“In that case, I’ve got a solution—one that’ll let you protect her without making her resent you.”

“…How?” she asked, eyes wide.

“You keep protecting her—but from the shadows. Like a ninja. Or a shadow guard.”

Her face lit up. “Ohhh! A ninja! I get it—you want me to tail her in secret… Wait, that sounds like stalking!”

I patted her shoulder sympathetically.

“Senior gave up a higher-paying job to stay by your side. Can’t you make this tiny sacrifice for her in return?”