POV Yusheng Lan
The doors of Wu Po's opened wide and a woman with long, silky hair scattered over an expensive coat walked in. The Chinese man who opened the door bowed low until the woman, who did not even pay attention to him, disappeared inside, and then he wiped his wet forehead with a snow-white handkerchief and stood up again, afraid to even think about looking back. The Chinese woman with a confident walk went straight to the back part of the Chinese restaurant, where two VIP zones are located.
The restaurant itself is frequented by tourists and locals alike, but the VIP areas are never free, no matter how many "important" people try to get in there. No one has ever gotten in... from outside.
The Wu Po Restaurant is owned by a branch of the Triads, secretly run by one of the Chinese magic clans, and the territory it sits on belongs to the Lan clan. So it's clear who the two VIP areas are forever reserved for.
Today, the restaurant was empty, only in one of the zones could voices be heard, laughter, but not excessive, like when the higher officials of the Triads or the lower officials of the Lan clan visited. Yusheng went straight to that area, and when the patterned doors slid open in front of her, the woman didn't even stop, but she had time to examine everything and everyone.
A few steps into absolute silence, and now the woman was sitting comfortably in her favorite chair, where no one else dared to sit, and her coat was already hanging on a special hanger.
Her dark eyes swept over her subordinates, who bowed in greeting, but not submissively, so that she could see their faces. Yusheng shifted her gaze to the table and took the glass of pomegranate wine that had already been filled for her, and her men straightened, studying the head with curious glances.
The woman was as calm and measured as ever... on the outside, but in reality she was ready to explode into a whirlwind of death at any moment, something everyone present had seen many times before.
That was one of the reasons why such fighters were so docile, but only one. Yusheng put down her glass, glistened her eyes, and looked around at her subordinates again.
— Well, kittens, are you bored? — In a soft, velvety voice, the woman almost sang, the corners of her mouth barely curving into a playful smile.
— Mistress! — a girl of about twenty-five with short, boyishly cropped hair exclaimed, barely holding back a stupid smile, but it was clear enough.
The others in the group understood as well, so they began to smile and look at each other, but remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Yusheng smiled a little more, pleased with the group's understanding and unity.
— You got it right, kittens, soon you'll have a job to do: hard, deadly, just the way you like it. — The woman's lips parted, revealing to the group a set of snow-white, pointed fangs and canines, and her squinting eyes turned into two rows of fluffy eyelashes.
— Mistress! — the same girl exclaimed again, folding her palms over her chest as if praying to her goddess. She never took her gaze away from Yusheng, her eyes radiating love and happiness. — You spoil us so much! Madam, you are the best! Ah! — the girl's eyes narrowed and her cheeks turned red.
— Mistress, we beg you: find Lin-Lin a husband, because she will never do it herself! — A young man with dark glasses and a braid with an intricate gold hairpin at the end grinned at the girl.
— Yes, yes, she loves you too much and will never look at a man unless you tell her to! — added another man with short hair and glasses. By the way, at least half of those present had a similar accessory on their face.
— Shhhh! — Lin-Lin turned to the loudspeakers and stood in the middle, grinning with her triangular inhuman teeth, while her eyes, which had been dark brown a second ago, turned purple and her pupil became perfectly round. The laughter didn't stop, but it could be seen that the people were tense.
— Ling Ling, it's not right to show your teeth to your siblings. — Yusheng said calmly, but the girl immediately straightened up and closed her mouth, unable to hide the gleam in her eyes. Although, it should be noted that the two the girl was staring at also showed a glow through their glasses.
— By the way, mistress, what about our boy? — Lin-Lin asked in a completely innocent voice, as if she wasn't the one who was about to start a bloody brawl.
— Oh, my little Lin-Lin is interested in our boy? Has my little girl finally grown up? — The woman smiled affectionately, but it was clear to everyone that this was another stiletto for the girl who was completely flat in the chest area.
— What are you, how could I trade you for a boy?! — The girl never let anyone off the hook, and jokes about her breasts she certainly did not forgive or forget, but if the mistress herself joked about it, the girl did not mind. — But you've told us so much about him that we were curious....
— Hmm. — the woman looked at her group, and they did not hide the fact that they were really interested in the question. — Well, if you're so interested, he's the one who got you the job. — Yusheng paused, slowly finished her wine, and continued. — He gave us everything to punish those responsible for the death of our blood. — His words had an effect.
— So the boy decided to take revenge? — She tilted her head to Lin-Lin's shoulder, feigning surprise, but not too much.
— If he were not Lan, would your blood be awakened, kittens? — Yusheng grinned and looked around at her charges, paying special attention to those who wore glasses. — You haven't even met him yet, you just stay here and look at the result! He's Lan! And that says it all.
There was silence for a few minutes, everyone thinking and rethinking, until the doors to the hall opened and a tall middle-aged man with small round glasses and a business suit walked in. He approached the lady, bowed respectfully, and handed her a scroll case covered in red hieroglyphics.
— The elders summon you, mistress, to report on your affairs and also demand an immediate answer to the question: Why are the Petal Territories closed? — When you have finished, the man lowers his head again, waiting for an answer.
— You will tell the elders that our Petal is upgrading its defenses, and how long that will take, we do not know. And I won't be back for the report for another month... — the woman thought for a moment. — Three, maybe four, since the current case cannot be neglected.
— As you wish, madam. — The man stood up and left the hall.
Yusheng's subordinates had questions, but none of them voiced them — they searched for answers on their own, not doubting the woman, but knowing that she never did anything for nothing.