The look of shock on the handsome man’s face would have been amusing on any other day but the situation was urgent.

She was being chased after all! She couldn’t stand around drooling over him.

“Gege, we can talk dick sizes later but-” She tried to slip past him but was grabbed by the arm and spun around. She was slammed into the wall, gasping as the air was suddenly filled with a musky scent.

It wasn’t a bad smell but-

“Gege, do we have to do this now?” She complained, looking generally unconcerned about his proximity. Her eyes, however, kept glancing around him. “I won’t tell anyone about that time so can we-”

“Shut up!” He snapped, glaring at her. She flinched, his loud voice ringing in her ears. “Do you think you can just-”

The men who had been chasing her had finally caught up, spotting her in the arms of the handsome stranger.

“There she is!”

“Finally decided to stop running?”

Arisa flinched, unconsciously pressing closer to the stranger. The man peeked down at her for a moment, not saying a word before turning to the men.

The men glanced at the man. He looked young, possibly in his late teens. The men were quite young themselves so they saw themselves as his elders.

“Hey, junior, you can’t just touch girls as you like.” One stated, stepping forward. “We paid good money for her. Aren’t you robbing us?”

“Paid? Who are you?!” Arisa snapped back. “If I’m being paid then why am I so miserable?! You paid me? Give me back my taxi fare then, you cheapskates!”

For a girl hiding in someone else's arms, she sure does know how to curse someone. The stranger thought, suppressing a chuckle.

“C-cheap! Who are you calling cheap?” The man being cursed at shouted back. “Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care if you founded the nation! I haven’t been paid by anyone so if there's anyone being robbed, it's me!” She declared, scowling bitterly. She gestured to the stranger proudly. “If I wasn’t being chased I could ogle this handsome gege at my leisure but I now have to stare at you ugly uncles? I should be getting paid if this is how my day is going to go.”

The stranger choked, not expecting to be brought into this so suddenly. What was this little girl saying?

“There's no need to feel so wronged.” He interjected, feeling his earlier anger fade into amusement. “You can ogle as you please.”

Dark brown eyes drifted over to the stranger, gleaming with curiosity.

“Can I?” She questioned cautiously. Wasn’t this guy mad before?

“Of course.” He replied, petting her head unconsciously. Such an interesting girl, how could he not pet her? Her hair was soft and fluffy, like a kitten yet her words were barbed.

How cute~

Arisa frowned, unsure why she was being petted like this. It was definitely strange but not bad since the man’s hands remained in their proper place.

I’ll allow it. She thought, letting herself relax a bit.

The drunk men stared at the two of them, flabbergasted that they were being ignored like this. How dare they? They stepped forward, confident that the three of them could beat this one stranger and take the girl away.

Yet before they could take that second step, they were surrounded by men in black suits. There was a brief moment of chaos as the three men were rounded up and dragged away. Those who saw them could only marvel at the efficiency of the black suits, who subdued the drunks in mere moments.

Arisa blinked, noticing the noise but had her face pressed into the stranger’s chest, so she couldn’t see. Her time working for her boss told her not to be too curious.

Priorities, Arisa!

She pushed off the stranger's chest, which the man allowed. They stared at one another for a moment before she smiled.

“Thanks for the save, gege.” She chimed, slipping out of her embrace. “I’ll be sure to pay you back but I have to collect my…” She considered how to refer to her charge. Saying too much would be bad. “Friend.”

Her words were hesitant, making it clear how she felt about this ‘friend’. Yet the stranger didn’t argue, offering to escort her.

“For a guy who pushed me against a wall, you’re quite the gentleman.” Arisa teased, not arguing the point. She couldn’t stop him if the man decided to follow. She had some self-defense techniques but she wasn’t going to use them unless he became improper.

“How could I not?” He replied, following after her. “You were about to openly talk about that time.”

“Gege has nothing to be ashamed of.” She laughed, amused that this guy was so flustered about that time. “Not only is Gege handsome and cool, but he's well equipped too. You must be what mama calls the perfect man-”

“S-stop!”

The soft atmosphere between them faded as the stranger felt embarrassed once again. This was the reason he was mad at her.

***

Several months ago, Arisa was acting as a companion for her mistress at some party. While she wasn’t standing by the teens' side, she was nearby since she was the most sensible of Jin Lihua’s friend group.

She was also the youngest.

“Dirty girl, I’m thirsty! Get me something to drink.”

“You’re standing too close! Get away from me.”

“Dirty girl, go and get me that thing I dropped. It's fine for you on the ground right?”

Her skin tone and her role made most people look down on her but it never really bothered her. These elders who were supposedly so perfect would be scraped off the bathroom floor and left to wash puke from their hair in a couple of hours anyway.

Her lack of a response annoyed the girls, wishing she would wilt like others who were looked down upon.

Jokes on them. She thought, taking a sip of apple juice. You have to care about the person's opinion first in order to be brought down by them.

She had been taking a break from accompanying/babysitting Jin Lihua and her friends when she spotted him. No, that was inaccurate. To say she spotted him would imply she actually saw him. No, this guy's entrance was met with the hellish squeals of teenage girls who couldn’t hold their mating cry.

Arisa flinched, her head turning toward the sound unconsciously. As expected, the man of the hour was handsome. Many of the young ladies at the party were excited that the main character of the party had finally arrived.

By the time she realized it, she was the only young woman around, as everyone else was clambering for that man’s attention.

This left Arisa basically alone save for a few servants who looked like they wished they could be so daring. A few flushed cheeks were clear to her eyes.

Arisa definitely understood why though. That guy was very good-looking but Arisa had been taught by her mother to not let such things as looks cloud one's judgment. Jin Lihua, after all, was a very beautiful girl but her personality was nasty and entitled. Arisa had met many like her since she started watching over the young mistress.

It was nice to admire pretty things but never get too close.

As such, when the man of the hour's gaze briefly fell on her, she only raised her glass with a smile to greet him. She couldn’t see him very well but she could see him nod in acknowledgment.

How polite!

The young man continued talking to the people around him, seemingly ignoring all the young mistresses vying for his attention.

Seeing as her ward was suitably distracted and was probably not going to make a fool out of herself, Arisa saw an opportunity for a bathroom break.

Habit had conditioned her to use the men’s room rather than the women’s. There had been way too many times where, in order to get Arisa off her tail, Jin Lihua would pour unmentionable waters into her stall. While Arisa wasn’t one of Jin Lihua’s people, she was required to make herself appealing to the eye when around her.

That and the men's rooms were always empty for whatever reason so Arisa had a lot of privacy when she entered the stall.

Arisa took the time to check her phone to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Her phone was an old model, one that could just barely get text messages but she didn’t need much more than that.

Papa

Working late?

Me

Yeah, it shouldn’t be much longer.

Papa

Be sure to get a ride home from Mr Chan.

I don’t want you taking a taxi this late.

Ugh, Mr. Chan again? She didn’t dislike him, since he was nice but he was such a bore. He almost never said anything, no matter how much Arisa tried to talk to him! It was super boring~

Still, she obediently followed her father’s words, texting back:

Me:

Kay~

Arisa let out a breath, wondering really how much longer she had to stay out. She couldn’t leave until her ward left and even though Jin Lihua had a curfew, why would she need Arisa if she actually followed that?

There were times Arisa hated her job. She had only taken this job because her father’s boss happened to need a ‘playmate’ for his daughter. Someone responsible and sensible, which apparently Arisa was.

Now a year into the job and she was only barely able to reign in this girl two years her senior.

Lost in her thought, she left the stall and calmly washed her hands, wondering how much longer she would have to stay out tonight. She had just washed off the last of the soap when she noticed she wasn’t alone.

Ah, right, this is the men’s room.

A little bit away, she saw a young man by the urinal, his wide eyes staring back at her. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting to see her there, so nonchalant strolling by like she wasn’t in the wrong place. Heck, he was so shocked, he couldn’t even think to pull up his pants.

They stared at each other for a whole minute before Arisa reacted.

Arisa was obviously embarrassed too, having been caught for the first time in the men’s room. Her eyes drifted away but ended up going a bit more south than she anticipated and saw-

Oh, well that looks a bit different in real life.

Arisa openly stared, her curiosity getting the better of her as she nodded with approval. Ah, was it moving? Yes, it definitely twitched under her gaze, how curious!

“S-stop staring at it!” The young man cried, his face red as he turned his back on her. “How can you-”

“Sorry, it was pretty impressive so I couldn’t help but stare~” She replied honestly, turning away. “There's nothing to be ashamed of. You finish your business.”

“W-wait!, Don’t just-”

“Sorry!” She called out, her own cheek a bit red from how daring she’d been. Her words were honest but boy was that… That!!

***

Who’d have thought she’d bump into that guy again. Small world, it seems.

Yet having him look at her with such a grimace, she couldn’t help but giggle as she recalled how red he’d gotten back then. Yet the glower she received in response tempered her amusement.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d still be upset about it.” She tried, walking ahead.

“If I walked in on you, would you let it go?”

“Touche.” She conceded, now feeling a bit bad for teasing. “Still, I apologized. It was an honest mistake.”

An honest mistake?” He looked doubtful. “Why were you in the men’s room to begin with. It’s not a good habit to have.”

“I know but if I didn’t I would just be bothered by the other girls and…” She considered telling him about how much trouble she had suffered at the hands of entitled young lady’s but refrained. This guy was nice but he didn’t need her life story. “Really, it's just cause men’s restrooms never have lines so it's quicker to go there.”

“Really?”He didn’t look convinced but Arisa shamelessly nodded.

“En!” she said as they turned the corner. “Ah, they’re here!

In front of the room, she had left her ward were half a dozen men in suits. She recognized the hulking figure in front, running up to him.

“Uncle Ji! You came quicker than I thought.” She complained, pouting. “I told you I could handle something like this by myself.”

The hulking figure towered over the teen but placed a gentle hand on her head. That gentle hand could easily enclose her entire head but this wasn’t something Arisa was worried about. This uncle was cool.

“Then why weren’t you here waiting for me?” the behemoth questioned, staring down at the girl.

Arisa paled as she knew he was using his ‘big brother’ voice on her.

“Uh…” She glanced away, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn’t have her being lectured for hours. Then she recalled she wasn’t alone. She slipped from beneath Uncle Ji’s hand to cling to her escort. “Oh, I met up with an old friend and wanted to talk to him first. I knew you guys would reach the young mistress before I came back and-”

“Are you lying?”

Arisa opened her mouth, completely ready to weave a fantastical tale of lies but was cut off by the young man beside her.

“No, we are well acquainted.” He said, staring up at Uncle Ji.

The older man frowned, wondering who this teen was. “And you are?”

“Gu Ouyang.”

“Gu?” He echoed, furrowing his brows. Why did that name sound somewhat familiar? Yet the Arisa didn’t allow him a chance to ponder this, speaking up.

“Yes.” Arisa stepped forward, ready to defend her newfound friend lest he be crushed by Uncle Ji. “This guy is my friend who I happened to bump into so I definitely wasn’t alone in this seedy place.”

“But you left the young mistress alone.” He stated, crossing his arms over his chest. Arisa flinched, already anticipating the lecture she was bound to get.

“...Yes but-”

“That's my fault.” Ouyang interjected, placing a hand on her shoulder. “This naughty bird wouldn’t have gotten so far had it not been for me distracting her. My apologies. If you would allow, I’m willing to make up for it.”

The older man cocked a brow. “Oh?”

“Allow me to pay for any damages that might have occurred for the two of them. At the very least, I would like to cover any costs spent here.”

“Young master, I appreciate your gesture but our family isn’t so poor as to need-”

“Please don’t take my words as pity.” Ouyang interjected, looking sincere. “I truly feel remorse for allowing my desire to see my friend to endanger a vulnerable young lady. I would hate it if something happened to either of them.”

“…” The older man looked doubtful. He wasn’t the type to leave matters of importance to others, especially strangers. The offer was kind but Ji had no way of knowing whether or not this was just a ploy to gain a favor.

It was suspicious.

Ji was glaring down at the young man, who didn’t falter in the least under his gaze when he felt a slight tug on his jacket. Arisa was staring up at him with a pitiful look.

“Uncle Ji, let's take Ouyang’s offer.” Arisa whispered, tugging his arm so she could whisper in his ear. “The young mistress made a huge mess in there and the boss will kill me if he finds out she snuck in here. At least if he covers the cost, we can hide where she spent the evening.”

Their boss was very sensitive about his and his family's reputation. Because of this, he was especially harsh whenever any of his children were caught in seedy places. While this club was high-end, rumors of unscrupulous people and illegal activities were prevalent.

Both she and Uncle Ji knew they would be to blame if their boss found out where they found Jin Lihua. While Ji was fine with taking the blame, he didn’t want anything to happen to this sweet child.

The fact she was even involved in this family was just unfair. He thought, scowling. He sighed, eventually agreeing to the offer. Yet he made it clear that if this young man came back expecting anything, there would be problems.

“That won’t be a problem, sir.” Ouyang assured, smiling. “I’m not so underhanded as to do such a thing.”

Ji nodded, satisfied that he had made things clear.

He turned to leave, following the men carrying their young miss in their arms. Her head and body were covered, so they looked like they were getting rid of a corpse but no one dared say anything. Stranger things had occurred within these walls after all.

Arisa moved to follow the guards before glancing back at the young man. Ouyang stared back, wondering what this girl had to say.

“Thanks for the help, gege.” She said, smiling. “Oh, I’m Arisa. Since we are ‘best friends’, I figure you should at least know my name.”

“Ouyang.” He replied, holding out his hand. It was a simple gesture but one Arisa wasn’t used to. Everyone she knew either disliked her or was older than her so she had never shaken another's hand before.

This guy really is very polite!

“This sort of introduction is probably better, right?” She joked, recalling how they actually met.

“Mn.” The mild flush to his cheeks revealed he remembered it too. Arisa giggled, liking that she could tease this guy.

“See ya, Yang-ge!”

Ouyang watched her run off, his eyes never leaving her back until she was out of sight.