Journey to Somewhere New (Sun Wukong x reader)

Special Nezha Reborn spin-off

[Get ready for a whole movie! This takes place during the training montage. Now, to avoid any confusion, we're gonna give her a name]

Li Yunxiang was eagerly driving through the busy city streets on his bike. He had a lot more deliveries to do today, which was bad for him since that'd mean he'd go train with the masked man later than usual and so will have to stay longer to compensate. He rolled his eyes at the idea, he liked the guy but he could get annoying at times. He picking up the speed, hoping he could finish on time. With the engine roaring and the size of the bike, you'd think he was hard to miss. Well as it turned out someone else was in a hurry today. Out of nowhere a young woman, a few years older than him, jumped off the sidewalk and started to rush across the street, if it wasn't for Li's quick reflexes, this day would've ended short for both of them. The brakes made a loud screech, making the girl yelp and stop right in front of him. He glared at her, first thing he noticed was her clearly died hair, he could see her black roots. She looked like she hasn't shower in days.
"Both ways lady! Watch it!" he exclaimed.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed with a quick bow.

Li clicked his tongue before riding away. She watched him go for a moment.
'That is a cool bike though.'
Just then, her eyes noticed the time on the big clock attached to a store front. She gasped.
'Nevermind! I'm gonna be late!'
With that thought, she kept running through the city, going through streets, alleys and other shortcuts only her and her friends knew about. She's done this parkour course everyday so it almost became second nature to her, though she didn't know that to an outside point of view, this would be impressive to watch. Finally, she reached the main street and ran to the water bank, just in time to see it close.
"No~!" she whined as she stopped beside the security guard, panting slightly.

"Hello Xiaodan." the man said as he closed the padlock to the gate.
"Come on man!" said girl exclaimed. "I'm only a few minutes late!"
"I'm sorry but, you know we're tight too at the water station. We can't afford special treatment." he said, though he didn't sound sorry.
"I almost got in an accident! Please?" she joined her hands with a pleading look on her face. "The kids are thirsty."
"I'm sure they can survive one more day." he walked away. "Let that be a lesson, stop getting distracted by machines, it's a waste of time for someone like you."
She sighed sadly, hanging her hand down. After a moment, she discreetly looked back to see if the man was gone. He was. She quickly crouched down to open her bag.
"Come on, come on." she hushed and gestured 'come closer' to her surroundings.
Children, adults and elderly came out of their hiding spots and surrounded her as she took out a hairpin and a little hook to pick open the padlock, some volunteers kept a lookout on both sides of the street.
"Alright~!" she wiggled her fingers with an excited smile.

She was about to get her tools from her bag, but a teenage boy handed them to her with a proud smile. He got the gist of what she needed for this after a while.
"Here ya go Xiao!"
"Aw thanks Yuu!" she took it and smiled.
He puffed his chest, his cheeks dusted with pink.
"Miss I appreciate what you're trying to do but..." an old man said, pointing at the meter. "There's barely any water left."
There was a moment where everybody looked at him.
"You were late weren't you?" she finally asked. "You do have money."
"Uh...yeah?"

She just smiled and went back to the water distributer's pluming. Normally, you'd give water coins and the guard would open the valve with a key, but the people here were either too late or they didn't have money, but this won't be a problem with Xiao on the scene. Under five minutes, she got the machine running and after cheering for her, people started filling their buckets of water. They could serve more but they'd rather not risk it. She served herself last before quickly closing everything back up.
"I...I don't understand." the old man said in disbelief. "Why does it say there's no water when there clearly is?"
"Because they're greedy assholes!" Yuu exclaimed.
"Preach." Xiao said as she packed up her things. "Don't worry, you get used to the hypocrisy after a while."
"Is there...nothing we can do?"
She stood up with a slight smirk, rotating her wrench between her fingers.
"You could become a mechanic." she said before walking away, accompanied by a few other kids. ''Come on guys let's go home, and keep an eye open.''

Because of the buckets the group was carrying, they had to take the long way home, by the boulevards, and they had to walk slowly and carefully so as to not spill any precious water. A bit tedious but that was okay, since it gave them time to look around for targets. And nothing brought more excitement to Xiao than looking at cars and motorcycles.
"Xiao! That one?" a little girl pointed at a complex-looking car.
"Oh~ that looks fresh out of the garage!" she smiled. "Keep an eye on it."
"Got it!" the kid nodded before she rushed towards it, ready to stalk it and its owner until later tonight.
"What about that one?" another kid pointed at a motorcycle.
"Mmmh," Xiao narrowed her eyes. "we got this model before. And it doesn't look like it's been modified in any way, leave it be."
"Oh, okay." he looked down, a bit disappointed.
"Woah! Look at that one!"
Xiao looked over and gagged when she recognized the six-wheeled dark blue car that just parked in front of a luxurious store. A chrome metal plate attached to the hood with a little silver statue of a dragon's head on the front.

"Um...no." she bashfully looked away.
"Huh? Why not? That's a perfect pick!"
"Bolin you idiot!" Yuu nudged him. "That's her crush's car!"
"You have a crush Xiao?!"
"Sssh!" she quickly crouched down with an index to her mouth, blushing.
"I thought you hated rich people."
"Hate is a big word." she explained in a hushed voice. "Without them, who will we steal from? They're an important part of our ecosystem. And him, he's..." she glanced at the car.

The kids followed her gaze to see henchmen on motorbikes parking around the car. One of them opened the car door and a tall handsome blond man with his hair pushed back stepped out, wearing a white suit with a blue button down shirt, along with a silver chain necklace and black gloves. Another henchman placed a long white coat on his shoulders and another lit the cigarette in his mouth for him. The man slowly inhaled then exhaled with a 'heh', white smoke coming out of his mouth, before stepping into the shop. The kids looked back at Xiao to see her being completely smitten, covering her mouth with her hand.
"You're such a girl Xiao." Bolin shook his head.
"Hey." she pointed at him. "Having a crush isn't a girl thing. You have a crush on Yin and we all know it."
"N-No I don't! I hate Yin!" he exclaimed, his face red.
"Right, sure." she smirked and stood up. "Come on, let's go."

Later, as the sun was beginning to set, the small group arrived home: an abandoned orphanage at the edge of town. The rich districts were not far from there, so they could see the skyscrapers and the colorful lights right out of the windows. Barely any people lived in this area, Xiao was pretty sure they were the only ones. At least no one was bothering her and the children, all because of rumors saying the place was haunted. some of the kids even reinforced those rumors by putting up warning signs around it. Childish yes, but when you look at the orphanage, you'd think it came straight out of a horror movie: broken windows, the broken front door slowly swinging in the wind, the east wing in complete ruins, and an overall look of decay. Thankfully, it was just on the outside. The group walked around the building and went in through a secret back door, leading to the restored part of the orphanage. A lot of time and effort went into making this busted place livable. Now it was warm and cozy and it felt like home again, which made Xiao a bit emotional everytime she thought about it. She was really proud of this.

"We're back~!" she exclaimed when they came in the big living room where everyone would hang out.
Immediately, she was surrounded by a dozen of kids of all ages (the youngest being four) asking how her day was. She gave the buckets to older kids (between sixteen and nineteen) and opened her bag to put the money she got from work in the money jar. It wasn't that big and now it was halfway full, she sighed. She was never really successful as a mechanic, her prices were low and no one would expect someone like her to be any good. Thankfully, they didn't have to rely on her job to live.
"So," she turned towards the oldest one here after her, Haoran. "you got anything for me?"
"Oh yeah, we got something big!" he nodded and gestured her to follow to the main office room.
Haoran was in charge of the pickpocket team, only stealing from the rich of course, allowing them to get quality food (by poor standards). And of course they'd also look for vehicles for her to target. One thing that Xiao was also proud of was her ability to convert engine parts into something else. That's how they got their own heating, electric, water and gas system. Although that latter two wasn't perfect and needed some more parts in order to be complete.

"I hope you get it done soon." Bolin said. "Then you'll make the slide you promised!"
"Your sense of priority is...impeccable. Never change it." she patted his head, making him frown, before walking in the room.
Now with just her and Haoran, she walked up to the map of the city and its different districts laid out on the desk, with him standing across the table from her.
"We didn't spot much, only a couple of new models in these parts. And when the kids came back they said they were here, here, and here." he placed old tokens on specific parts of the map.
"Okay, we'll check 'em out." she nodded. "We also saw a few on the way home. But uh..." she paused, frowning slightly. "what about this was big?"

"Just wait. You see the bike races you love so much yet never seen one?"
"...I'm busy." she said with a sad little voice.
He smiled. He liked to tease her about it.
"Well," he tapped on the abandoned factory where the races happen. "the guy who owns the place might also own a super water system."
"Okay?" she shrugged, confused. "The guy's who organizes extreme motorcycle races in an abandoned factory he owns and who lives in a water tower is filthy rich and has a lot of water. What's your point?"
"That's not all. He's all alone up there."
"What?" her eyes narrowed as she leaned a bit closer, now intrigued.
"Yeah." he nodded, smiling. "Last time I went to watch the race with the kids, Meijuan wanted to see the owner's face - 'cause he's wearing a mask right. So when the race was over, she went off on her own and we found her on top of the water tower, looking down through this giant vent."
"How did she climb up there? She's six!"
"I don't know and it's freaking out some of the kids." he shook his head, as baffled as her. "But the fact she got up there and no one stopped her is what's important here. I looked in there, there was barely anyone. That water system and its parts are waiting for us to take it." he enthusiastically tapped the spot where the factory was again.

Xiao took a moment to think.
"What does the guy look like?" she finally asked. "Is he strong?"
"Pfff, not at all." Haoran shook his head. "He's your typical rich guy, the only unusual thing about him is his mask. No one's ever seen his face."
She thought again, a hand to her chin.
"This is a rare opportunity." he added. "We won't even need to steal from cars tonight if we can just get our hands on it."
"...right. But I'll go alone just in case. Who knows he might be like a demon or something."
"Alone? Come on Xiao, what if something happens to you?"
"Oh I don't know." she rolled her eyes before looking at him. "What *if* something happens to me?"
There was a moment of silence. By the look on their faces, they seemed to know what they were thinking about. Haoran pursued his lips and sighed through his nose.
"Still, be careful."
"I will." she smiled. "If I'm not back in an hour, you know what to do." she casually said as she walked out.
"Yeah..." he nodded, a bit gloomier than her.

Xiao came back in the living room, just in time to greet Yin, the third oldest one here, who just came back from work. Yin was the only one here with a respectable job at a party venue in a wealthy district and a decent enough salary. She got it thanks to her looks and her way with words. She liked her job and always came back with the latest upper class gossip.
"Four buckets?!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw them in a corner. "That's great! I got two from work!"
"So six, that is great!" she nodded.
"Yeah, with the ones we already have, maybe everyone can get a bath tonight. Including you." she said that last part slowly as her eyes narrowed.
"Ow, really?" she pointed at a black oil stain on her forearm. "This one's two weeks old, I'm attached to it now."
The kids around them cringed in disgust and she laughed. Yin's eyebrows furrowed, she knew Xiao was joking so as to cover the fact she prioritized the others' health before hers.
"Xiao, you *will* take a bath tonight." Yin sternly said. "Even if I have to give you my turn."
"Oh come on, your appearance is important to your jo-."
"It's important for your job too! No wonder you get little to no customers when you got flies flying around you!" she swatted one away. "I can go *one* day without a bath, it's fine." she walked away.
Xiao chuckled and followed her to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

After a good dinner, she made sure everyone got a warm bath before taking one herself. She really wanted to cherish it since it was her first time in two weeks but she forced herself to be quick, and when she let the water flow down the drain, she noticed the dye color.
"Shit." she said under her breath.
She dried herself and stood in front of the cracked mirror. She looked at her black roots, which with the bath have grown longer. She frowned and bit her lip.
"I'll have to dye it again soon."

After she got dressed, her, Haoran and some of the oldest kids went out as Yin was putting the others to bed. The group went to the abandoned factory (no race was scheduled that night) and looked over the water tower.
"There should be a back door somewhere around here." Haoran pointed.
Xiao hummed and looked at him.
"Remember, an hour."
"Let us go with you." one of the kids said, they looked worried.
She smiled.
"It could be dangerous, I'm going alone. I'm the adult here, I can look out for myself." she pointed at herself with her thumb before quietly walking to the tower.
The kids looked at Haoran. He just sighed and leaned back against a container, checking his old watch and ready to count the seconds.

Xiao picked the backdoor's lock and opened it slowly though it still creaked a little bit. She could hear noises of clashed metal in the distance. She gulped and carefully walked through the hallways. After a while, she entered a big room with a giant machine at the back, it looked like a monster's head with an colorful bar at the top. Waterfalls coming down into a pool and pipes everywhere, all connected to the machine.
'That is an impressive water system right there.' she looked in awe, staying close to the wall in the shadows.
She looked around but saw no one, even though the lights were on. She noticed a giant half-eaten fish above a grill beside a table in front of a single couch in the middle of the room, along with a record player. A particularly loud sound of metal made her look a certain direction and quickly press her back onto the wall. After listening closely, she figured a fight was happening not far from here. And as she listened, she couldn't feel the many tiny eyes watching her.
'Good.' she walked over to the machine. 'I won't have to be careful about being quiet if they keep going.'

She started to inspect it with a look of intense focus on her face, trying to locate where we the parts she needed. She found them but they were under a few layers. She clicked her tongue and started to look into her bag for the right tools. Just as she got a hand on her screwdriver, she flinched when she heard the front door open, the sound echoing through the room. Thankfully, she was well hidden behind the giant machine, still she didn't dare to move for a moment and just listened. She heard laughter.
"I'm glad *someone* had fun." she heard a familiar voice.
"Admit it, it was hilarious! You were so confident you weren't gonna drown!" the person laughed again. "And-and you almost *did*!"
"Ah ha ha. Real funny." there was an annoyed groan.
"Wanna grab a bite before you go? This fish's really good!"
"I'm good. It's getting late anyway."
"'Kay~! Good training today!"

There was the sound of footsteps for a moment before the front door opened and closed again. She waited a bit longer. She figured the guy remaining was the owner and she waited for him to get to bed. She didn't try to look at him, by the sound of it, he let himself fall onto the couch with a huff and put on some music. Then, she heard tiny squeals.
"Mmh?"
The squeals continued for a few seconds.
"Oh~ really now?" the man said, as if he understood. "Let's go check it out shall we?"
She heard his footsteps fading away. Once the silence settled, Xiao sighed and began to unscrew some of the parts, not to remove them, just to move them a bit so she could access the ones she wanted. Oh cruel hands of fate, one of the screws slipped from her hands and fell on the floor, creating a little echo, which, in the silence, sounded louder than it actually was. She became tense and didn't move for a moment. Not hearing anything, she sighed and turned to pick it off the floor. When she stood back up she was suddenly face to face with a guy in a creepy demon mask, hanging upside down from a chain.

"'Sup?"
Xiao cried out in surprise, dropping her bag and what she was holding on the ground. She didn't try to get them and was ready to run but then he asked:
"Are you the plumber?"
"Huh?"
He pointed at the bag of tools.
"Uh...Yep." she looked down at it, then at him, smiling nervously and trying to sound natural. "That's me."
"Good!" he jumped down, landing on his feet and dusted off his light red suit. "'Cause this is the third time this week I'm calling a plumber and *finally* someone shows up! Better late than never I guess. My water comes out with a weird taste and I hate it. Also what are you doing?" he pointed at the piece she moved out of the way.
"I- uh..." she glanced at it before looking back at him. "I was getting ready to work right away, inspect this monster to see what's wrong. A-and that piece was really badly attached so..."
"Mh-hmm, and also, did you sneak in without knocking?"
The fact that she couldn't see his face made this situation even more unnerving for her.

"G-granted, coming in without permission wasn't the best idea. But you were busy so..."
"Oh okay!" he turned a knob on his mask and the eyeballs rotated to express a happy emotion.
Xiao blinked twice, shocked that he believed such an obvious lie.
"I'll go turn off the engine and you do your thing!" he patted her shoulder and walked away.
She just watched him. At some point he stopped, turned the knob again and slowly looked back, his happy eyes now upside down.
"Waiting for something?"
She let out a little 'ah' and quickly picked up her stuff. He quietly chuckled and walked away.
"She's harmless, I'll let it pass." he mumbled.

Meanwhile, outside, Haoran checked his watch and sighed.
"We gotta go." he said in a gloomy voice. "We'll get the parts next time."
"But what about Xiao?" the others asked.
"Yeah maybe something bad happened! We have to help her!"
"Don't worry." Haoran said. "She's tough, I guarantee you'll see her back by next morning. Now let's go."
The kids walked passed him, dragging their feet. He looked back at the water tower with furrowed eyebrows. Despite what he said, he still wasn't a fan of this.

"So what's your name?" the masked man asked as he sipped on his drink, looking down at her from his bar.
She was examining the engine. It was pretty high up, thankfully he made her sit on a looped chain and pulled it up. She looked up at him.
"Mmh? Oh uh...Xiaodan."
'I don't want this guy to call me by my nickname.'
"No last name?"
"Nope." she went back to looking for the machine's problem.
"Hmm~ Imma call you Xiao!" he pointed at her.
'Dammit.' she pursued her lips.
"You look pretty young for a mechanic." he playfully spun around on his stool.
"I'm in my twenties."
"Still, you're not what people think of when they think 'mechanic'."
"I get that often." she gave small answers, not really wanting to converse with him so she'd get out of here faster.

"So what's your deal, did you learn from your dad or something?"
She frowned, people would always assume that about her when they meet her. She didn't mind at first, but now it just pissed her off.
"I'm an orphan."
"Oh~ that's why you don't have a last name! Phiew!" he wiped away a fake drop of sweat off his forehead. "For a second there I thought you were being hostile!"
"Right..."
"You got a teacher then?"
'What is up with the questions creep?!'
"All self-taught."
"Ooo~ impressive. For how long?"
"A decade or so."
"Oh my! You must be good!"
"Yeah. I'm really good."
"But then how come I never heard of you? As someone who arranges extreme races, I know my fair share of the mechanic circle."
"Well maybe your races are just not worth my time." she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
He cackled and spun around some more.

"Ooo~ she got standards huh?! She's a fancy one!" he leaned closer, resting his head on the palm of his hand. "I can totally tell by your raggedy outfit!"
"If you're gonna talk to me like that, I'm just gonna leave."
"Oh gee," he rolled his head. "how professional."
"As you said, I got standards." she glared at him.
He just cackled and she went back to work.
"I found the problem." she said, looking closer at the plumbing. "There's a tiny leak in your oil tank and it gets in the water." she searched through her bag. "I'll need a minute to plug the hole, but I advice you just replace the tank, since this seems to be running 24/7." she looked up at him. "You got some vodka?"
He laughed at this unexpected question.
"On the job? My, Xiao." he said as he began to pull her up to the bar.
"It's not for that! I learned that mixing strong alcohol and glue makes super glue."

He went around the bar, letting her sit on the stool. Once up there, she noticed the big slot machine on the wall, surrounded by colorful lights. He pulled on a lever, making the slots roll, all three of them landed on diamond and a wheel of bottles turned. The vodka one ending up upright for him to take it.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked. "You could just take it."
"I could, but it's *way* cooler this way." he said as he served her a shot.
He reminded her of a kid, she unknowingly smiled.
"You're pretty theatrical aren't you?" she took out a cup of homemade glue and began to pour some drops of vodka in it before mixing.
"Says the one with died hair!"
"It wasn't my-!" she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.
"What? It wasn't your choice?"
She looked down with a gloomier expression and was about to give a vague answer, but then he added.
"You wanted a flashier color or something?"
"Pfff, maybe. Something that'd compliment my outfit for sure." she joked, playing with a lock of her hair.
"Well why didn't you?"
She gave him a blank expression.
"Sir, I'm poor."
He laughed out loud, she chuckled and checked if her super glue was ready. It was.

She sat back on the chair-chain and he took her down to the oil tank. She plugged the hole then let the water flow a bit so the weird taste would fade away.
"Okay." she said. "Try drinking some."
She watched as he turned on the water system, the waterfalls flowing again, and made himself a whole cocktail. She slightly shook her head, wondering why he'd waste time like this. He inspected his glass for a moment before drinking it in one go. She sent him a weird look but didn't say anything.
"Ah~!" he slammed his drink on the counter (which looked like a DJ's turning tables). "Now *that*'s water!"
"Not really," she mumbled. "it's a cocktail."
"Great job Xiao!" he continued, playing with the ice cube in his glass as she tried getting down (she wasn't that high off the ground). "I'll be sure to call you first if this machine gets cranky again."
"Uh...I'll check my schedule."
She did think it'd be a good idea to work for him since he was rich. But this guy just weirded her out.
"So that's gonna be-"
"That first job will be free." he looked down at her. "As compensation for trying to steal from me."
"Huh?!"
In her surprise, she slipped and fell. And though she safely landed on her feet, she lost her balance and bumped into the machine, right onto the boiler. Her hands still on it, she felt the heat and gasped, quickly stepping away.

"Woah!" the masked man jumped down and rushed up to her. "Get some cold water on it quick!"
"I-I-I'm fine!" she stepped back, hiding her hands from him. "It just turned on so it wasn't that hot." she jumped lightly to adjust her bag on her shoulders. "Yeah okay you get a freebie but next time you'll pay! Goodnight!" and with that, she ran for the backdoor.
Now alone, the masked man stood there for a moment, taken aback, before turning to the boiler. He reached out his hand and he already felt the heat without even touching it. A human would've definitely cried out in pain. Yet she seemed to have reacted more out of fear than anything.
"Interesting..." he said, looking at the direction she left. "But I gotta be sure."

----

Xiao usually wasn't a fan of going out alone late at night, but she wasn't really thinking at the moment and just wanted to leave and go home as fast as possible. She came back completely out of breath, she closed the door behind her and pressed her back on it. At this moment, she realized something.
'I didn't give him my number, he won't contact me.' she rubbed her face, tired. 'Good.'
"Xiao!"
She looked over to see the kids rushing up to her, along with Haoran who simply walked.
"Sssh~," he said with an index to his lips. "you're gonna wake up everybody. See? I told you she'd be fine, now say goodnight and go to bed."
He said that, but he was just as worried as them, and just as relieved to see her back.
"But..." they looked back at her. "What happened back there?"
"I just ran into some trouble and managed to get out in time." she gently pushed them forward. "Hao's right, it's pretty late. Go brush your teeth and go to sleep."
The group of teen of course protested but a stern and menacing step forward from their big brother was enough to make them run.
"Go, the grown ups have to talk!"
Xiao laughed and dragged her feet to the kitchen, Haoran following her with a concerned expression. When he walked in, he saw her looking at her hands.

"So?" he said, getting her attention. "Are you okay? Did he do anything?"
"Nah, I had a stupid accident."
She turned towards a big jug of water, hesitating for a moment before just sitting by the counter, putting her bag on it. Haoran sighed and got them a glass of water, since she won't get one for herself. She let out a 'heh' when he placed one in front of her and she drank it.
"An accident that got you stuck in there for two and a half hours?" he asked as he sat across from her.
She explained what happened and he patiently listened. Though his eyes widen when she talked about the boiler incident.
"Nothing serious though, right?"
"Nope." she showed him her hands, they looked as if nothing happened. "Got out of there just in time.
After that, she kept going. He furrowed his eyebrows when she was done and leaned closer.
"If he figured out you were there to steal. Then he might also figure out your...your thing."
"He won't, it's way too crazy- even we don't know what the hell it is."
"Which is why you gotta be careful."
"I know, I will." she yawned and stood up. "Welp, I'm going to bed. Goodnight~."

He smiled and was about to say it back but then he noticed her bag wiggling on the counter.
"Um... Xiao?"
"Mmh?" she looked at him, then noticed her bag. "What the..."
He began reaching for it but she raised her arm, stopping him. She walked back to the counter and slowly opened the bag. She just saw her tools at first but after shaking it a bit, she noticed something golden, wiggling as if it was stuck. Narrowing her eyes, she went to poke it but just then, the thing popped out of her bag and hopped onto the counter. A little golden fur ball. Xiao and Haoran slowly leaned closer to it. Suddenly, the ball took a different shape and now was a really tiny chubby monkey creature, with a bowl cut and round glasses. It looked around and shrieked in horror when it saw the two humans, who also shouted in horror. Xiao didn't waste any time, she took he empty glass and trapped the little monkey in it.
"What's happening?!"
The two of them looked over to see Yin and some of the kids barge in with baseball bats, golf clubs, wrenches, scissors and other everyday things to use as weapons.
"There's a-!"
"A-A bug!" Xiao cut Haoran off, sliding the glass towards her to hide its content. "Just a bug."
"No it's not! It's a demon!"
"Oh you would call it that, given how big the thing was." she looked at him with big eyes, as if to tell him to shut it, before smiling at the group. "Sorry for waking you guys up, you can go back to sleep."
Yin let out a sigh of relief, though she put herself in front of the potential danger, she was never one for violence. The kids however were a bit pissed off to not get their little adventure. They all left, and once again Xiao and Haoran were alone. He glared at her.

"What the hell was that?" he sharply yet quietly said.
She didn't respond and looked at the little creature, which started back at her in fear, squealing.
"Don't." he whispered.
And he sighed when she slowly raised the glass. Still keeping a certain distance, her and it looked at each-other, unsure.
"Hey...?" she quietly said.
"Don't greet it." Haoran frowned. "Why did you kept it a secret?"
"It was already scared to death with the two of us, it would probably have a heart attack if it was surrounded by everyone. Plus I didn't want to cause a panic."
"It's a demon Xiao, who knows what it could do."
"A tiny thing like that? Please." she slowly reached her hand towards it, her palm facing up. "Hey buddy..."

Slowly but surely, the little monkey walked towards it, he hesitantly touched it then quickly backed off.
"Don't be scared, it's okay." she softly spoke.
It looked at her and she smiled then it clumsily climbed up on her hand and shyly waved at her. She felt her heart squeeze.
"Aww~." she brought it closer to look at it. "Hey little guy."
"Don't get friendly with it." Haoran walked up to her. "That demon got in your bag and in our house!"
"Come on man, he obviously got here on accident." she rolled her eyes at him before turning back to the little monkey. "Where do you come from lil guy?"
It began to squeal and move its hands around. The two humans just stared back with a blank look. Eventually, Xiao yawned.
"Do you mind if we take you back to your home tomorrow? Not gonna lie, I'm mentally exhausted."
It nodded and she began to walk away. Haoran quickly stood in front of her with a nasty look on his face.
"Come on~ look at him." she brought the monkey closer to his face. "He got tiny glasses~." she said with a tiny voice and a big smile.
He let out a sigh of exasperation and she walked passed him.
'For someone who almost never showers, she is so shallow when it comes to appearances!'

Xiao was never the first orphan up to wake up in the morning, but this time, she forced herself out bed as soon as the sun rose and brought the little monkey to the main office to look at the city map.
"So where do you come from lil guy?" she asked, still sleepy.
It walked around a little bit, because stopping at pointing at the abandoned factory. Now, she was really awake and her eyes widen. She groaned.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
"Xiao?"
"Yin!" she suddenly turned around to face the young woman, hiding the little demon. "What's up?"
"Is everything okay? Usually I have to wake you up, and you weren't in bed so I got worried."
"Well," she sighed. "really stupid: my wrench fell out of my bag when I was running away last time. So now I'm retracing my steps so I can go look for it before going to work."
Yin narrowed her eyes, noticing that she still looked sleepy.
"You want me to make you a coffee real quick?"
"Yes, please and thank you~." she smiled.
She smiled back and left, closing the door behind her. Xiao sighed before looking at the little monkey, now on her shoulder.
"You know what's weird? She's younger than me and yet she's the mom of the house."

With her tiny new friend hidden in her bag, she had a quick breakfast and rushed out to the abandoned factory once again. She stopped in front of the water tower and placed the little monkey on the ground.
"There!" she said, her hands on her hips and took a step back. "You're home now, you know the way in right?"
It just nervously looked back and forth between her and the tower.
"You don't need me right?"
It looked at her, its eyebrows furrowed.
"...Please don't make me go in there." her shoulders dropped.
It blinked at her, for a monkey it looked more like a lost puppy right now. She hummed, trying to resist. Next thing she knew, she was knocking on the front door. She sighed and glanced at the monkey on her shoulder, looking content.
"Those damn tiny glasses." she whispered to herself.
Just then, the door suddenly opened, startling both her and the monkey. First thing she saw was the demon mask but before she could even react in any way, the masked man gasped.
"There you are!" he exclaimed and took the little monkey. "Where were you?!" he took a step back and closed the door.

Xiao blinked twice, confused. Then she frowned once she realized that this guy just slammed the door on her without even a hello or thank you. She scoffed.
"Alright jerk." she mumbled and walked away.
Just as she was about to go down the ladder, the door opened again to reveal the masked man, in his fancy suit again, and with the little monkey on his shoulder. She frowned slightly, wasn't he wearing pyjamas the first time he opened? It all happened so quickly she didn't even process what he was wearing.
"So~," he leaned on the doorway. "did you come back to give me your number?"
"What?! Listen here assh-oh." she realized he didn't mean it in a flirty way, though he said it in a playful tone. "R-Right. And also this little guy fell into my bag by accident and he told me to go here."
"Yeah, he told me." he caressed the top of its head with his finger before stepping to the side. "Come in."

"Uh...Why exactly?"
"The money's inside." he pointed with his thumb. "As a thank you for bringing him back. He told me you were very nice to him- Well, beside the glass trap thing. That was scary." he went inside, leaving the door open.
'He understands what he says...? What am I thinking of course this weirdo does.'
"I'm sorry." she followed. "To be fair though, I was scared too!"
"Come on~!" he turned around, walking backwards, to show the monkey to her. "He's got tiny glasses, you really think he could be scary to anyone?"
"My thoughts exactly!" she smiled, pointing at him.
The little monkey groaned and began to squeal, like he was starting to get offended by what they said. The man cackled and she just smiled.
'His laugh is...unique for sure.'

"Wait here," he gestured to the couch. "get comfortable~ enjoy the music," he turned on the music record. "be right back!"
She took a seat and was about to say thank you but instead she watched as he began to climb the pipes and chains at an incredible speed and with incredible agility. It reminded her of Meijuan.
"Dude." she said to herself, rubbing her face. "Is this what she could become." she chuckled, half joking and half hoping this won't come true.
She heard squealing and looked at the table in front of her.
"Woah!" she jumped lightly in surprise.
A bunch of little monkey creatures climbed up the table and the couch to look at her, curious. They were just as tiny as the one with glasses but they all looked different in some ways.
"Hello...?" she awkwardly waved, not sure how to act.
Some of them squealed again and something in her mind clicked when she recalled last night when she first heard the noises they made.
"You guys ratted me out!" she whispered sharply.
Some squealed back at her with hostility.
'Right, I was the one breaking and entering in the first place.'

The tiny monkey with the biggest mohawk and sideburns made two circles with his hands and placed it in front of its eyes.
"The one with glasses?!"
It nodded. She scoffed.
"You know what, you're my favorite now!" she pointed at it.
It high-fived the tip of her index and she felt her heart squeeze.
"Aww~ you're cool."
It puffed its chest, proud. She chuckled.
"I see you've become acquainted."
She turned to see the masked man hopping down with a suitcase.
"What are these guys anyway? Where'd you get them?"
"Oh they're just my little helpers. They'd be nothing without me."

He walked up to her and placed the suitcase on the table. His little helpers opened it and Xiao gagged in shock when she saw the bars of gold.
"Wha-Sir!!!" he cackled at her volume. "I won't even need to work at all with this!"
"Mmh~ you're right!" he took the suitcase and placed only five bars back on the table before throwing away the rest of the suitcase.
"Tha-That's still a lot! I didn't do much!"
"Eh~ I wasn't gonna spend it anyway, someone gave it to me for a favor I won't even do. I got three more like this one." he pointed at the case behind him. "Work for me, and they're all yours!" he turned the knob on his mask so that his eyes had money signs in them. "What do you say Xiao?"
"I-well...You're, uh... I don't know..."
Despite being hesitant, she kept fixing the gold with unblinking eyes. The man couldn't help but giggle.

For once, Xiao was glad she didn't get customers in her little mechanic workshop today, it gave her time to make a complete list of things she'll buy and upgrade, starting with the orphanage. When it was time to close shop, she excitedly went back home after converted the gold into money, dropped it on the diner table and explained everything to everyone.
"There was a demon in our house?!?!?!" Yin exclaimed at some point.
"Yeah but he was cute so it's fine." she waved.
As she kept going, the young woman and Haoran exchanged a look, thinking the same thing, and they shook their heads with a sigh.
"Okay hold up." one of the teenagers raised a hand. "How do we know this guy isn't shady as heck?"
"We don't." she pointed at him. "But when he pays me in gold, who cares?!"
"So we're gonna have our slide?!" Bolin exclaimed with stars in his eyes when Xiao was finished.
"We could!" she pointed at him. "We could have that! Or~" her saying that made him fold his arms with a pout. "we could fix the roof, get new windows, a better insulation, actual silverwares. Oh, and a flat screen tv with the latest consoles!"
Suddenly, the kids (including Yin and Haoran) cheered, jumping from joy.
"Yeah! Yeah that's what I thought!" she high-fived some of them.
"Wait, is anyone gonna accept though?" a girl asked. "Even the social services are too scared to come, that's why I'm here."
"With this money," she smirked. "people will come!"

She called up a masonry company. Fixing the orphanage was the priority here, but they still wanted to keep the rumor that the place was haunted so that they'd be left alone. When a group of workers came so they could check out the place and fix up a price, only the three oldest stayed while the others kids were sent out downtown. Yin and Haoran acted as if they were young entrepreneurs trying to get this place back on track. Well, since Haoran was a really bad actor, Yin did most of the talking. They were planning on leaving the left wing in ruins, claiming it was a step by step process. Once they'll get the upgrade they needed, they'll act as if it was yet another failed project and cancel any other renovations, so that the orphanage's front will stay scary looking. The workers were really skeptic about this 'renovation plan' but they didn't protest, as long as they got paid, they were fine with anything. Meanwhile, Xiao just stayed in her corner, counting the money and calculating how much more they'll need for other expenses.

"Alright," the oldest worker said. "we'll come back in three days to fix up the roof."
"Thank you very much." Yin bowed.
"Mmh?" he noticed Xiao sitting on the busted couch. "Hey!"
She looked at him.p
"Have I seen you before?"
She suddenly became tense. She recognized him, he worked in the construction of the orphanage. She shook her head.
"Huh, I could've sworn..." he narrowed his eyes before shrugging. "Oh well, my mistake, sorry."
She just nodded and they left. She looked down and pursued her lips. It's been a decade now, she was sure she was safe and yet...
"I gotta dye it again and quick." she whispered and looked at a lock of her hair, half of its length being its natural black color.

As for her new patron, the masked man has been regularly calling her to fix up various things at the abandoned factory. She was pretty sure she knew his water system by heart by now. She came to find out that he was training some guy named Li Yunxiang.
"It's you!" they said at the same time when they were introduced.
"You took a shower!" he added.
She blushed slightly and the masked man cackled loudly. It was true that she allowed herself to buy some more resistant hair dye, the kind that won't go away even if she took a bath. She now allowed herself to take one every couple of days instead of every couple of weeks, which really showed. She looked much healthier now. She came to like Li, he gave her 'little brother' vibes. The two of them bonded over their shared love for motorcycle, especially when he told her he was a racer himself.

"Your bike is so cool!" she looked at it in awe.
"Thanks, made it myself."
"It is cool," the masked man said, hanging upside down and swinging around. "but mine will be *way* better!" he cackled, excited.
"You're making one for him?"
"Yeah, in exchange, he teaches me how to control the fire."
"The what now?"
He then explained had some kind of fire power and that he was working on an armor for himself or else it'd get burnt to a crisp or something. He also said that because of that there were demons after him. Though she offered to help on the armor, she wanted nothing to do with this demon business, he said he wanted to do it himself anyway.

They also bonded over how weird the man in a mask was.
"The pillars of Heaven are falling apart!" he said in a booming voice, standing on his roof. "And when they do, only I will remain! Rising from the ashes will be the new era of Golden Sun!"
"What in the world is he doing?" she asked when she and Li happened to arrive at the factory together.
"Preaching, he does it almost every morning."
"Why is he talking about the sun? Is that..." she narrowed her eyes. "Is that a bird cage?"
"Yeah, I don't know where he gets it either."
"This guy weirds me out so much."
"He is strange, and he can be pushy," he glanced to the side when he said that. "but he's not a bad guy." he smiled.
"Oh yeah, the big demon mask really gives away the warmth of his character."
They laughed.

As much as she refused to admit it, she started to like coming here. She got to work on complex machinery, hang out with Li and the tiny monkeys, sometimes she could even keep the replaced parts. The masked man still weirded her out sometimes, but it was because of him that she could afford everything she bought in recent times.
One day, Xiao was doing a check up of the electric generator as Li and the masked man were training in the same room. Sometimes he'd take open cables and shock Li just to test his fire shield - however that worked - which was working but it still gave him a shock.
"No no no! Let's try again."
The masked man went to shock him again but Li caught his wrist and glared at him.
"Do it again and I'll burn you."
He just giggled and stepped back. Xiao took this opportunity to take the cable from him.
"And then you complain about having electricity problem." she rolled her eyes and went to put this back where it belonged.
He cackled some more, but she wasn't as disturbed as before, by this point, she got that it was easy to make him laugh.

"A'ight!" he put his hands on his hips. "Let's see how much progress you've made."
The two men faced each-other.
"And that is my cue to leave!" Xiao said, packing up her things. "I'm done here anyway."
"Aww~ you don't wanna watch the show?" the masked man asked.
"And get myself caught in the crossfire? No thank you."
He cackled loudly at her pun.

After she left, they began to fight. Although Li had his power and his spear, the masked man was really able to hold his own. Meanwhile, the masked man was taunting him since he hasn't landed one hit on him. The young man was soon getting worked up and separated his spear into two batons. But even with this change of strategy, it still wasn't enough to get to his mentor. In one last attempt, he threw his baton at him but he jumped out of the way just in time. But they both gasped when it went straight to the generator. In an explosion of fire, the baton flew backwards.
"Oh no!" Li exclaimed.
"You pay for repair!" the masked man pointed at him as soon as he landed on his feet.
"Huh, wait."
He went to pick up his baton, the pointy tip has been flattened. The two men glanced at each-other before walking to the generator to inspect it. It looked untouched.
"That's strange." Li looked closer. "...What did Xiao do for this checkup exactly?"
"I asked her to upgrade the cords."
"Maybe the new ones are really resistant." he looked at one of the chords which almost enveloped the generator. "No...This is regular copper." he frowned slightly. "Then how...?"

The masked man didn't say anything and turned towards the giant water machine. He looked at it for a moment before taking a metal rod out of his pocket and throwing it at the machine. Using some kind of telekinesis, he made it hit the plumbing a bunch of times at different angles and at an incredible speed. It should've pierced through it and it would've exploded by now, but he couldn't even leave a scratch. He was so focused on confirming his theory he ignored the little monkeys' panic and Li's protests which soon died out.
"How is that possible...?" he asked once his mentor stopped.
He was silent for a moment before giggling maniacally.
"She's one hell of a mechanic duh! I was right to hire her! You know," he casually put his hands in his pockets and walked passed him. "you should accept her help in building your armor, it'd be a better pile of crap for for!"
He cackled and left, leaving Li confused.
"I was right~ I'm so smart!" he whispered to himself.

----

"Say, I'm curious:" the masked man one day asked when she came to him after being done with her work. "What did you buy with all that money I gave you?"
"I upgraded my home. I still need money to make sure the kids live comfortably."
"Kids? Oh yeah!" he snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "You're an orphan!"
"Right. And the orphanage's pretty busted." she took out her list which was two paper sheets stuck together. "We got windows and a roof now, but we still need better insulation and upgrade the floorboard on the second floor, I don't want to risk it collapsing again. Oh but we should probably get better bathrooms first." she began mumbling to herself. "I know Yin said she wanted a new sewing machine but if we can buy new clothes there won't be a need for that, but that may be more expensive." she ruffled her hair. "Oh but she'll overwork like crazy! She already has enough on her plate."
As she kept talking to herself, the masked man just looked at her.

"You're in charge of the orphanage?" he asked, his voice a tad softer, but she didn't notice.
"Well, kinda." she looked back at him. "It's a collective effort really."
"How many orphans?"
"Uh..." she thought for a moment. "Thirty? Sometimes kids come and just stay a few days before leaving, but there are around thirty kids living here."
For a moment, he just looked at her, and even though he was wearing a mask, she knew that everyone she told this to had the exact same look of pity on their face.
"Please don't patronize me." she frowned. "I'm a grown adult first of all, and we manage very well on our own."
"Hey, I didn't say anything." he raised his hands.
Xiao sighed through her nose and put her list back in her bag. When she did the masked man got a good look at it, it was full, with multiple columns. Behind his mask, he frowned lightly.

"Can I get my pay now?"
"Mmh?" he looked at her, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, here ya go."
He tossed a couple of gold bars at her and she caught them.
"Thanks." she said as she put them in her bag and got ready to leave.
"You ever seen one of those motorcycle races?" he casually asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"I'm always busy so nope."
"Wanna watch the next one?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and changed his eyes to show a happy expression. "Since you'd be my guest, you'd get a VIP seat! What do ya say?"
She was taken aback. She always had to remind herself that this man was the owner and organizer of those extreme races. And the words 'VIP seat' echoed in her head.
'Not only will I get the best seat, but I get to shove it in Hao's face!'

"Uh..." she stepped back, getting him to let go of her before smiling. "Sure."
"Cool!" he changed his eyes back to normal. "'Cause it's tonight!"
"Tonight?! W-Wait!" she waved her hands. "I got things I gotta do at home!"
"Come on~," he tilted his head. "I got a special racetrack prepared for this one. And we got the champion from another city. It'll be a night to remember! Not bad at all for a first time."
She hummed, hesitant, then she noticed all the tiny monkeys looking at her with pleading eyes. Her humming became louder and the masked man puffed out a giggle.
"Mmh~" she looked at her watch, seeing that she should probably get back to her workshop. "fine. I'll be there."
Then she rushed out. The masked man watched her leave and let out a 'heh' of content.

After work (she got five customers instead of the usual two, a good day) she came back home and told Yin she would leave the orphanage to her tonight as the two of them were washing the dishes for tonight's dinner. They only had one set of plates, buying more was on the list, but now they did have functioning running water!
"And don't forget to cook dinner with the fireplace, do not try to cook it with gas."
"I know, it's not working yet."
"Well, it is but..." she tilted her head. "The gas tank we got can very easily overheat. So basically if we open the gas it'll explode and we'll die."
"Oh my. Okay."

"Sorry you'll be alone to take care of the kids tonight."
"It's fine." she said. "Hao and most of them will be watching tonight's motorcycle race anyway, so this might be a chill evening for once." she chuckled. "Where are you going anyway?"
"Also the motorcycle race actually."
"Oh, finally!" she chuckled again.
"Yeah! And when Hao sees me in the VIP corner, he won't tease me ever again. Even if it's a one time thing, I'll get bragging rights for eternity!"
"Wait, VIP? How- wait." she frowned. "The patron?"
"The patron yeah. He invited me."
Suddenly, Yin's eyebrow furrowed and she froze.

"What?" Xiao tilted her head.
"Xiao, I hope to the gods it's a no..." she leaned closer. "Is this a sugar daddy situation?"
"What?!?!?!" she almost dropped the plate she was holding. "What the hell Yin?! No! He just gave me a free ticket."
"Look, this happens all the time where I work. It starts with special favors, then it's the flirty compliments, next thing you know you're going on dates every Saturday. And though I'm not judging!" she quickly made that clear before continuing. "I witnessed that sometimes, you can get too deep into this and you can't just quit once you've crossed that line."
"What line?"
"...Oh Xiao."
"Wha-oh." she blushed and shook her head. "It's nothing like that! We probably won't even be watching it together. He's like the ring leader or something." she returned to the dishes.
"Still, be careful."
She just hummed as a response.

"A date..." she shook her head before looking back at Yin. "I don't even know this guy's name!"
"Really? He never told you?"
"No, and now I don't *want* to know his name. Keeping a distance." she gestured back and forth between her and an imaginary masked man.
"Boundaries."
"Yep."
They both nodded.

The race hasn't even started yet but this was already a sight to see. Once night settled, the before empty factory was now packed with people, colorful lights, banger music, and of course the amazing custom motorcycles. Xiao came with Haoran and the others so when they separated, the look of envy on their faces was enough to make her ecstatic. Literally the one thing that could ruin this for her would be to have a masked weirdo stay beside her all night.
"You said I was gonna have one of the VIP seats." she said, frowning since she got here.
"Those *are* the VIP seats!" he excitedly leaned over the platform's railing so much that his feet were dangling. "You can see the whole race track from up here!"
"Yeah but there's nowhere *to* seat here." her frown deepened. "And shouldn't you be down there announcing the race or whatever?"
"I can do that here." he waved a mic he had available to him. "Ayo, why so glum?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer and shaking her. "Come on! You're at the motorcycle race! Most people would kill to be in your shoes right now you know?" he giggled.
"Right." she gently removed his arm. "I gotta enjoy myself. As long as you keep your hands to yourself."
He cackled and leaned over the railing again, bringing the mic close to his face.

"Ladies, bitches and demon baddies!"
'Woah!' she blinked twice in surprise as he kept going.
"If I were you I'd buckle up! 'Cause this night's gonna be electrifying! Mind-blowing! Some of you can and will die tonight! But that's the thrill isn't it?! Let's get this party started~!!!" he jumped with a fist in the air.
Though Xiao questioned his choice of word, she had to admit this guy knew how to hype a crowd. The applause and cheers were booming throughout the factory. And so the race started, and it was awesome! The music was booming, lava was involved, each competitor used imaginative shortcuts, this wasn't your typical race track so everything was fair game. Her and the masked man could indeed see everything from the platform, and so they saw every cool stunt and every violent accident that happened. The two of them would get hyped together everytime something like this happened, they'd jump together and look at each-other with big eyes while screaming 'YOOOO DID YOU SEE THAT?!'. At the end, a racer wearing a white bike suit on a white bike won.
"That's Li's crush." he leaned towards her after announcing the winner.
Xiao laughed. As the party kept going, she leaned back.
"Man~ that was *amazing*!"
"I knew you'd love it~!" he sung. "Figured you needed a break."
They both looked over the factory, the colorful lights shining from behind them.

"Can I ask you something?"
"Mmh?" he tilted his head.
"...You know I first came here to steal from you right?" she looked at him. "Then, why do you keep calling me, asking me to work for you?"
For a moment, he stayed silent and slowly turned away. Then, after a moment, he turned the knob of his mask and looked back at her with hearts in his eyes.
"Because you're cute."
Xiao's expression turned into horror and she took one big step away from him. He burst out laughing, changing his eyes to be happy.
"Oh I *wish* you could see the look on your face!" he pointed at her.
She blinked twice, then smiled.
"Heh. I wish *I* could see the look on your face!"

He laughed harder, holding his stomach, she laughed too. At this moment, Xiao believed that she got the hang of the kind of person the masked man was: weird, with lots of secrets, but still harmless. And he can be nice sometimes. Once the race was over, he didn't ask her to stay longer, but she still did stay a bit longer to chat about how cool this race has been before leaving. When she joined Haoran and the others, the kids expressed their jealousy while their big brother gave her a judgmental and concerned look.
"Is this a ...'candy daddy-whatever Yin calls it' situation?" he whispered to her at some point.
"No it's not! Shut up!" she whispered harshly, pushing him away.
The masked man watched them leave from the platform, his chin resting on his palm and leaning on the railing. Though he watched the group, he was focused on Xiao.

"We are in a drought, why the hell do people care so much about their gas?!" Xiao mumbled to herself.
She just called several gas companies to order a brand new gas tank, but apparently they were all sold out. Now she was stomping down the streets, leaving her little workshop so go to the masked man's place. He asked for her services yet another time.
'This guy is so reckless!' she frowned, in a bad mood. 'He could at least respect my work and be more careful! I'm pretty sure I spend more time at his place than in my own workplace, is he doing this on purpose?!'
She rubbed her temple, knowing she was being unnecessarily mean to her only regular client. She was just in a bad mood right now.
"Hopefully I'll work on something fun or new-"
"You can't do anything either?!"

She looked over and gagged, freezing on the spot when she saw her crush standing on the other side of the street. He looked angry, but even then, this tall blond man still looked dashing and handsome. With his henchmen behind him, he was talking to a scared group of men. His car's hood was opened. He continued to be angry at them.
"What, are you saying my car now belongs in the dump?!"
"N-No sir! Of course not!" one of the mechanics intensely shook his head. "I-it's just that we don't know what the problem is..."
"You guys are just so useless!" he said while holding the bridge of his nose. "Don't tell me I'll have to buy a new one."
"I-If it's the only way..."
As he let out a long sigh, Xiao could feel her heart beat like a drum. She has been daydreaming of this moment. She quickly looked at her reflection on a shop's window to fix her hair.
'Thank the gods I took a bath yesterday!'

She took a deep breath and walked over to the man in a fancy suit, biting the inside of her cheeks so as to not smile like an idiot.
"Uh...E-Excuse me?"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Her heart skipped a beat. Even when he simply turned around his movements were so smooth.
"Um..." she pointed at his car, nervously avoiding his eyes. "I couldn't help but hear that you have a problem with you car."
"Yeah?"
"Well- I know I don't look like it but," she looked up at him, a hand on her chest. "I'm a mechanic. And I'm pretty good. So.. Can I?" she gestured towards his car again before quickly adding: "I-It'd be free of charge of course!"
He took a moment to look at her up and down before sighing through his nose and taking a step to the side.
"Go ahead. But please be quick, I got somewhere to be."
"Of course sir, I'll do my best." she quickly bowed.
While she walked up to the car, she didn't notice the group of mechanics whispering among themselves in a slight panic.
'This is it. It's all been leading to this moment. I gotta go all out!' she thought, a grave and serious expression on her face.

She looked down at the car's engine, the blond man close by, keeping an eye on her.
"Damn." she said under her breath.
"What?" he asked in a pressing tone.
"Oh n-nothing!" she waved her hands, only now noticing that he was standing beside her and blushing over it. "Just..." her gaze wandered back to the engine. "damn that's a good engine!"
"Heh. I know." he ran a hand through his hair as she kept scanning. "I only get the best of the best, bought each individual piece."
"I can tell yeah." she nodded. "...Do you race?"
"Mmh?"
"That type of engine is super powerful, the type racers get, but your car doesn't seem like the type. So I was just curious."
"...I do race people around sometimes." he took a hit of his cigarette. "All in good sport." he smirked.
Xiao was too focused to notice his playful tone.
"Ah!" she just realized something and blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask what the problem was!"
"Heh, that's okay." he smiled. "Now I know you know what you're talking about, you have an eye for that sort of things."
Her heart skipped a beat and she squealed mentally.

"For some time now," he said. "everytime I turn it on, it makes a weird noise, and the whole car shakes. It's really starting to be bothersome. And *others*" he glared at the other mechanics from the corner of his eyes. "just can't find anything wrong with the engine."
"I see..." she looked down at the car again. "That's probably because nothing's wrong with the engine."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, your heat exchanger isn't made for whatever racing you're doing." she hovered a hand over said piece. "You can feel the heat from here, you might wanna replace that before it explodes in your face. But that can't be what makes the car shake..." she thought for a moment before looking at him. "Do you mind starting the car?"
"Not at all." he smiled.
He sat on the driver seat and turned on the car. There was indeed a weird noise when he did and the whole vehicle started to shake slightly. Xiao carefully listened, leaning closer to the car and slowly walking around it. As she did, the blond man had his eyes fixed on her. She hummed and crouched down once she reached the side of the car.
"Okay." she stood up. "The problem's under the car." she explained as her crush stepped out. "Just have them take a look under there and they should find it."
"...How about instead, you take a look at it?" he pointed at her when he said 'you'.
"H-Huh?! 'Scuse me?!" she spoke louder than she wanted.
"Yeah, you've done under ten minutes what these idiots couldn't do in three hours." he gestured towards the group of mechanics, who seem half embarrassed, half pissed off. "Why stop now?"
He smiled with a raised eyebrow. If she could explode she would.

"Should we go to your place?"
"What?!?!?!"
"You said you're a mechanic, you must have a workshop."
"Oh! Oh." she scratched her head, blushing harder from embarrassment. "I-I do but... It's like a tiny workshop in a tiny alleyway, it's no place for someone like you or a car like this."
"I see. You." he pointed to one of the mechanic. "Let her use your workshop."
"Huh?" her and the mechanic said at the same time.
"Here's what's gonna happen." he slowly walked up to them. "I'll get my second car, you all take cabs, and we're all going to his workshop. For free, as a way to compensate for your incompetence."
"A cab?" she frowned slightly. "I don't think I can afford it, it's very expensive if you go in the fancy parts of town."
"Oh don't worry, I'll give you a ride."
Her body suddenly tensed up, her mind was going bonkers.
"...Okay." she said under her breath.
He chuckled at her reaction and ordered his henchmen to get one of his many spare cars and to call a trailer to get the broken car.

Xiao wanted to sit in the back, but the blond man insisted that she sat on the front seat. For a moment, she was in awe when she saw the control panel, for a spare car, it's was still state of the art, but then she remembered who was beside her so she made herself as small as possible.
"You seem tense." he said, his eyes not leaving the road.
She looked at him and noticed that he only had one hand on the wheel.
'That's...so attractive.'
"I-I don't wanna get the car dirty."
He laughed lightly. Her heart tightened.
"You don't look dirty."
'Oh my lord. Please don't say that.' she blushed.
"I get you have a...humble condition."
She couldn't help but snicker at that.
"That's an elegant way to say poor." she smiled.
"Eheh, I guess. But even if it doesn't get dirty, as soon as it gets back in the garage, it gets cleaned from top to bottom." he glanced at her. "You gotta make sure it looks its best, always shining."
She gulped and hummed. The rest of the ride was quiet and Xiao spent it looking out the window.
'The rich districts look very different during the day.' she thought.

They arrived at one of the mechanics' workshop, decorated with neon lights, multiple floors, rock music playing, lots of employees working on different cars of all sorts. Although, they all stopped and bowed when they notice the tall blond man.
'Maybe he's a bigger deal that I thought...'
The car was put on a platform and raised up.
"The floor's yours." he gestured for her to go ahead.
She glanced at the other men, who did not look happy, she gulped before walking up to under the car. She hummed as she inspected, at some point she took out some of her tools to tinker a bit and to poke some of the parts, a look of focus on her face. The mechanics looked nervous but her crush patiently waited. Eventually, her eyes widen.
"Oh...oh."
"What?"
With furrowed eyebrows, she slowly looked at him. He frowned.
"What it is?"

She quickly looked around before speaking.
"Can I have a word with you real quick?"
Still frowning, but intrigued, he went up to her and leaned closer. She raised a hand to her mouth and whispered.
"I don't want them to hear because...you said you were only getting the best of the best, and I don't wanna embarrass you."
He blinked twice, confused. She pointed up.
"You see this part right there? Racers get these made out of stainless steel, the richest people get them out of *titanium*. Really strong stuff. This right there?" she pointed up again. "That's not titanium." she slowly said. "That's some rip-off material, basically the kind that poor people buy to look rich." she paused. "I'm sorry but, whoever sold you this, they played you."
Seeing the look of silent rage he had, Xiao was so glad it wasn't directed towards her. He slowly looked back at the mechanics, one of them gulped.
"You knew." he said, facing him.
The poor man just stuttered, unable to properly say anything. With a simple nod from the blond man, two of his henchmen grabbed his arms and dragged him out as he begged for mercy. Xiao watched, a bit unsettled.

"Thank you for your services." he looked back at her and bowed slightly.
"You're...You're welcome."
"What's your name?"
"Xiao- Well, Xioadan but everyone calls me Xiao."
"No last name?"
"Um..." her eyes darted around, the fact that her crush was interested in her to some degree made her flustered. "I used to have one, and then I became an orphan." she nervously giggled.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's cool it's cool!" she waved her hands.
He smiled.
"You're pretty good at your job, I'm glad you were around." he sighed and looked towards the exit. "Trustworthy people are such a rarity these days."
At this point, she was just screaming internally, even as the conversation kept going. The fact that he didn't make any assumptions about her learning mechanics from a father figure made her happy.
"Y-yeah, okay!"
"As a thank you, you can have this workshop, it just became available." he smirked and gestured around them.
She looked around, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Um... I'm good," she raised her hands. "I don't wanna be in your debt. You already gave me the opportunity to get a close look at this super cool car. And you gave me a ride here!"
"Ow, at least give me your number."
'Aha! Ah! Aaaaaaaah!'
"Mmh?" she blinked.
"You seem competent enough, and you did a good job today, so why shouldn't I call you again?"
For a moment, she was frozen.
"...Are you okay Xiao?" he leaned closer.
"Wah!" she jumped back. "H-How do you know my nam- Wait, right, I told you." she covered her face with her hand, but he could still see her red face.
He laughed.
"So~ is that a no?"
"N-no! Well yes! Y-you can have it is what I'm saying! I just need a pen and paper."
He laughed again, finding her cute when she's freaking out. He took out a pen and a checkbook. He tore on out and gave it to her so she could write on the underside.
'Rich people.' she raised her eyebrow but still gladly took the two items.

Now that the car was put down, she placed the paper on the hood on the car and wrote her number on it. At some point she took notice of how expensive-looking the pen was, then she notice the emblem on it.
"The... The Dragon Clan?!" she looked back at him.
"Ah-" he burst out laughing. "Was the dragon not a hint?" he pointed at the little silver dragon statue in front of the car.
"I-I don't know! Dragons are cool!"
He laughed some more.
"Good point." he wiped away a tear. "But yes, I am Ao Bing, the thirst son of Ao Guang, leader of the dragon clan."
'I got that he was a big deal, but not *that* big!'
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude." she shyly handed him her number and the pen back.
"Not at all." he took them. "If anything, it makes me happy to know you weren't helping me just because of my rank or...because of my father. I..." he trailed off, and for a moment, his expression softened. "I appreciate it."
Xiao was too focused on how flustered she was to notice this change of behavior though. She smiled back.
"You're welcome sir."
He nodded.

"Where is she?!" the masked man groaned to himself as he paced around his living room which was also his entry hall which was also his office which was also his dining room. "You think maybe someone found her out? She can't have gotten lost, can she? She's never been this late befor-" he was cut off by the sound of the door opening.
He looked over to watch Xiao casually walk in.
"Where were you?!" he walked up to her and leaned closer. "Do you know how nervous I was?! My boiler could've exploded any time, that's super scary!"
"Yeah, sorry I'm late." she walked passed him.
He let out a little confused 'huh', frowning under his mask. Normally when he got up close to her, she'd freak out and back off. But right now she had a constant wide grin on her face.

"Xiao!" he exaggerated his voice to sound more offended than he actually was. "If that's the passive energy you're gonna bring, I'll just call a new and better mechanic!" he crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue (which came out of the mouth hole he'd usually open to eat).
"You know what? I don't even care." she said with a similar silliness to her voice but still smiling. "'Cause I found another rich client. Respectful and kind and hot. So hot..." she whispered that last part, her gaze wandering.
"Ooo~! Xiao's got a crush~!"
She jumped in surprise, he suddenly appeared in front of her, hanging from a chain and upside down.
"S-So what?!" she said, frowning with her cheeks dusted in pink.
He relaxed a little bit, recognizing her grumpy self.
"I can tell that's your type of guy." he put his hands behind his head. "You are a shallow girl after all."
She gagged.

"No I'm not!"
"Then how come you don't have a crush on *me*?"
"Literally the only thing you have in common is that you're both rich!"
"And hot."
"No one knows that with that mask on! I don't even know the color of your skin, you're always wearing the same body suit all the time and the same gloves!" she gestured to his outfit.
'He's either ugly or disfigured, why would anyone wear a mask like that otherwise?!'
"I'll have you know that I have multiple copies of it."
"Who calls clothes 'copies'?!" though she sounded angry, she unknowingly smiled when she said that.
He just giggled, she groaned and rolled her eyes.
'He always giggles when he has nothing else to say!'
"Just tell me what you called me here for."
(Turned out it had nothing to do with his boiler exploding.)

After some tiring but ultimately fun work (something Xiao would never admit), she went back to her tiny workshop and simply waited for the day to end. When she came back home with the buckets of water her and the kids snatched on the way, she noticed Bolin on the phone with someone, he was also surrounded by other young kids, snickering.
"Yeah and she always chokes whenever she sees you." he said.
"I'm pretty sure she drooled last time." another kid added, pulling the phone close to her.
Her heart sunk when she realized who they were talking to on the phone and rushed towards him.
"Guys what the hell?!?!?!" she snatched it away from him and the group scattered, laughing like the little demons they were. "Get outta here you! Go do your homework or whatever!" she raised the phone to her ear, her face red. "I am so sorry! Those kids they're, they're the worst."
Ao Bing laughed.

"They were fun to talk to. I'm the youngest of thee, I know how siblings are."
"Well I'm more of their caretaker, since I'm the oldest here in this orphanage."
"An orphanage, here in Donghai?" he sounded surprised.
Right, this city was more business centric, you wouldn't really find people doing charity work for sure. Except for the hospital of course.
"There was one like a decade ago, but then there was an accident and..." she realized she was nervously twirling her finger around the cord and stopped. "The place was basically abandoned, so I made it a home and others just joined in."
"Wow, that's impressive."
"O-Oh I-" she blushed. "I do my best."
There was a pause during which she shyly shifted her stand, looking at her dirty old snickers. Not noticing the kids looking at her in the distance.

"Right." Ao Bing spoke, making her stand straight. "I called to ask if you would be available for a bit of shopping."
"Shopping?"
"Yeah, since I now have to replace some parts, and I'd like your expertise on this. Consider it a test, see if I want this partnership to happen."
'Partnership?!?!?!' she tried not to gag.
"Sure."
"Great, you're free next Tuesday?"
"Yep."
"Great, I'll pick you up and the East plaza at three. See you there."
"Goodbye, thank you sir."
"Please, Ao Bing is fine."
Her breath was stuck in her throat for a moment. And he didn't say anything, like he waited for her to say it.
"Th...Thank you Ao Bing."
"...You're welcome Xiao." by the sound of his voice, she could tell he was smiling.
And then he hung up.

Xiao slowly put the phone down, motionless and staring into nothing. The kids around her wondered if she was broken. Then she took a lock of her hair and looked at it.
"I gotta dye it again." she mumbled before shouting. "Screw you guys I'm taking a bath!"
"What?! Since when do you care about hygiene?!"
"Since I'm going on a date!" she ran to the bathroom.
"A what?!?!?!" everyone ran after her, wanting answers.
In the end she had to go around the orphanage two of three times before losing them.

Ao Bing was still smiling when he put his phone down.
"Sir?" Yaksha asked. "You seem unusually happy. Who is this Xiao?"
"That's what I want to know." he turned away from him. "Tell my men to run a background check on Xiaodan, she lives in an abandoned orphanage."
"That's not a lot of information."
"Exactly why I want to run a background check. Trustworthy people are such a rarity these days, I want to make sure I know she's who I think she is before hiring her permanently."
"Who you think she is?"
"A fun and interesting girl."
"Ah, I see." he smiled. "Only for business purposes, right sir?"
He glanced back at him, smirking.
"We'll see."

So now, Xiao had two regular clients, although it was clear she had a favorite one and the masked man would always tease her about it. With the money she got from them both, her and the children brought a brand new electric generator and completed their water system.
"Buying the pieces is so much easier!" she smiled to herself as they celebrated their working faucets.
During the following week, they didn't even need to steal anymore with the money Xiao and Yin got from their jobs, even Haoran took a small part-time job, although now he was more of the 'housebrother'. And because Xiao had the influential and powerful (and hot) Ao Bing as a regular, it attracted more people to her workshop. With the spare money she had, it underwent a little makeover to be more presentable. Life was good, except of course for their gas.
"Still sold out?! Are you serious?!"
She hung up the phone, frustrated.

"Can't you make one yourself by converting...stuff?" Yin asked.
"I can't just make a gas tank out of nothing, and over heating is not something I can fix."
"It's like we're cursed or something!" Haoran threw his arms in the air.
"I don't mind cooking by the fire." Yin smiled. "I like the fire."
Her two sworn siblings gave her a weird look.
"You would like fire you pyromaniac!" Xiao laughed at her.
"It's so weird to think that out of all of us, *you*'re the most chaotic." Haoran held the bridge of his nose.
"Chaos is fun, why do you think I'm here?"
The two women laughed while he looked disturbed.

Meanwhile, Ao Bing was having a fresh drink as he stood in front of one of the many windows of his new skyscraper, looking over the city. Something he'd often do to think.
"Sir!" one of his henchmen rushed up to him, holding some papers.
"What?" he asked without looking away.
"I ran a background check just like you asked and... You might wanna take a look at this."
Taking his time, he finished his drink and set the empty glass on a little table before taking the papers and reading them. As he did his eyes progressively widen in shock.
"No way." he whispered.
"Wha-what could this mean? Do you think she could be-"
"Either that, or she's been lying this whole time." he looked up with a grave expression. "This could be huge. I'll need to do some research myself."

"Xiao!" Yuu called out. "It's your crush!"
"Shut up! He could hear you!" she ran towards him.
"You're screaming louder than me!" he ran away, leaving the phone on the table.
"Just get outta here!" she took the phone and cleared her throat before putting it to her ear. "G-good morning Ao Bing."
He snickered, he always heard everything but never said anything about it because he didn't want it to stop.
"Hello to you too. I was wondering if you were free tomorrow."
"I am yeah!" she opened her little calendar notebook (something she got herself recently). "At what time do you need me?" she asked, ready to cancel any plan she already had.
"Actually this is more of an invitation. The Dragon Clan is hosting a party tomorrow night and I want you to come."
She froze.

"It's usually all business but I like parties to be fun, which is why I'm inviting you. Not as a mechanic, but as a friend."
"I...I'm not sure this is a place for...for me."
"Please? I'd really like for you to come."
With just this 'please' her heart exploded.
"Yes! I'd love to!"
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven. What's the orphanage called?"
"Oh you don't have to come all the way out here-"
"I don't, but I want to."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Sh...Shijiang orphanage."
"Noted. See you tomorrow."
They both hung up. For a moment, Xiao was at a loss for words but she soon started giggling and jumping up and down.

----

"You sure are jolly today." the masked man said. "Did he pop out the question~?"
"He invited me to a party tonight!"
"A party tonight...The Dragon Clan gala?"
"Uh, yeah? How do you know that?"
"Every rich person knows about it." he said, glancing over to the invitation that was sent to him and that he threw away in the trash. "And they know you can only enter if you're invited. So who *is* this crush exactly- No wait! Let me guess!" he turned away and waved a hand at her. "With how shallow you are, it has to be one of the three brothers, and Ao Bing's the only one around so it's gotta be him right?!" he pointed at her.
She blushed.
"Knew it!" he snapped his fingers. "Anyway, you don't wanna go there."
"Except I do." she slowly said with a raised eyebrow.
"Nah~ it's all business back there. And *I* won't be there, so you know it's gonna be boring."
"That's what Ao Bing said, which is why he invited me." a wide lovestruck grin formed on her face. "He said he invited me as friend, which I *know* might change after this night!" she giggled.

He rolled his eyes.
"Oh please. The only thing Ao Bing only cares about is impressing his dear ol' dad." he waved a hand in a dismissing manner. "He's not worth your time."
"Who are you to tell me how I spend my time?" she frowned.
"Only your long-time client and friend."
"We've known each-other for like a couple of months!"
"And you've known him for only one. By friendship standards you should prioritize me." he said in a matter-of-fact way.
"And he's a better client, at least he makes an appointment instead of calling out of the blue!"
"Oh I'm sorry, are you saying you don't care about my emergencies?" he put a hand on his chest, acting offended. "My security is on the line."
"This," she showed him a broken light bulb she just replaced. "is not an emergency! I'm a mechanic, not an electrician! You know, sometimes I wish you could respect what I do! He does! I'm going to this party! Call someone else when your shelf falls off 'cause I won't be answering!"

She turned around and angrily packed up her things. Seeing her like this, the masked man understood he went to far this time. Calmly, he went to face her, his hands in his pockets.
"Look, I'm sorry. Just that the Dragon Clan can be dangerous if you're not careful."
"I'll be fine."
He sighed, a bit frustrated by the fact that she was blindly trusting Ao Bing just because he was good-looking.
"What are you gonna wear?"
"I have a friend who works in a party venue, she said she'd lend me one."
He burst out laughing, she looked at him confused.
"Ah~ come on let's go." he grabbed a set of keys, rotating them around his finger.
"Where?" she frowned.
"Shopping of course. Whatever dress your friend gives you, it won't be fancy enough, trust me. My treat, what do you say?"
She seemed skeptic, but she figured it was his way to say sorry. Plus it'd give her an opportunity to really impress Ao Bing.
'Have a Cinderella moment...?'
"Alright." she nodded, smiling, and followed him outside.

He told her to wait here and went to his garage. He came out riding a brand new bike.
"Woah~! Li finished it?!" she exclaimed, looking at it from different angles with stars in her eyes.
"Yep! Just yesterday! Let's test it out together shall we?" he offered her his hand.
She gladly accepted it and took a seat behind him. He rode off into town at great speed but it was clear he knew what he was doing. This was Xiao's very first ride so she let out a heartfelt laugh as she hanged on to him tightly. It made him smile and he purposefully took a longer route so she could enjoy it longer. They went to a hair salon first because washing your hair with soap, although an improvement for her, was not enough.
"How much time do you dye your hair?" the stylist asked as she examined her scalp. "You know if you do it too much, it could damage your hair."
"Why do you dye your hair anyway?" the masked man asked. "It's just black. What's your problem with that?"
"I just... I just prefer it that way." she looked away.
"Well, I'll give you a special dye wash then. Do you want another color?"
"Uh...no thanks, I got used to this one."
"Alright, I'll make it so it looks more natural."
When they came out, Xiao kept caressing her hair.
"It's so soft!"
The masked man laughed at her reaction before the two of them rode to a fancy tailor shop.

"Hello sir." the shop's manager bowed when they walked in. "Are you here for another copy of your suit?"
Xiao gagged and the masked man looked at her as if to say 'see? It's not that uncommon!'
"Actually, we're here for her." he gently pushed her forward. "Whatever dress she wants, give it to her."
At first she was overwhelmed with all the options she was presented with, since she knew nothing about that stuff. Then the masked man suggested she just starts trying on the dresses, and so she did. Seeing herself wearing such beautiful gowns of all sorts felt almost surreal. What followed was her coming in and out of the dressing room wearing a new dress and the masked man, laying back on a couch, would either nod or shake his head while light-hearted pop music played in the background. For a moment, she forgot herself in this dress up montage and just had fun. The masked man didn't say anything because he enjoyed this little show, but she got a grip of herself and her objective eventually.
"Um..." she leaned closer to the manager at some point. "Do you know Ao Bing?"
"Of course, everyone knows him."
"Do you... Do you know what kind of dress he likes?"
"Why-Oh, oh~!" they smiled.
"Why don't you just pick a dress *you* like?" the masked man asked.
"But what if he doesn't like it?!" she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.
"I believe I have the perfect dress for this. Come with me."

Xiao followed the manager, leaving the masked man alone. He sighed loudly and hung his head back, scratching his head. He waited a few minutes before he heard footsteps. He rolled his head to look but then sat up when he saw Xiao. She was wearing a dark blue chiongsam dress with light blue gemstones placed on the chest and shoulders in a flower pattern. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned around, revealing her bare back. She smiled and looked at him.
"What do you think?"
He didn't move, nor said anything. She frowned.
"You good?"
"...Dayum~!" he turned the knob on his mask to change his eyes to heart-shaped. "Lookin' good Xiao!" he hopped off his seat and walked around her. "You look like a million bux! Ao will get a kick out of it for sure!" he stopped in front of her and gave her a thumb up.
"Stop it you creep!" she slapped down his hand. "Um, I love it too - a bit much for a first time wearing a fancy dress but-" she quickly mumbled that part. "But it's gotta be *super* expensive."
"Yeah, so?"
"S-so, are you sure you wanna buy it, for me?"
"I told you I'd do it. And can't a girl have a matching bag and jewelry?" he addressed the manager. "I know you got some!"
The manager happily nodded. Xiao was at a bit of a loss for words.
'I get he's sorry, but this is too much!' she thought.

"Say," she asked when they rode back to her place. "what's your name?"
"My name?"
"Yeah, it's been long enough. I don't think even Li knows it."
"Oh and you're the exception?" he glanced at her, speaking in a playful tone, before looking ahead again. "I don't have one."
"I don't believe that."
"You're right- Am I not allowed to be mysterious and cool? It's what makes my charm!"
She laughed.
"Sure, you get a pass. Plus at this point, it'd just be weird to know your name."
There was a moment of silence, the orange light of the setting sun illuminating them and the world around them. At this moment, the city looked calm and peaceful.

"Hey." she spoke again. "Thanks."
"...Don't thank me, 't'was nothin'~!" he sung and began to make zig zags with his bike.
"Woah woah!" she held him tighter. "Could you not?!"
"But it's fun~!"
"It's scary!"
He burst out laughing.
"How can a mechanic fan of racing be scared on motorcycles?!"
"It's just my first time, anyone would be nervous! Especially if the driver's a maniac!" she pulled on his stomach.
He just giggled loudly. She groaned, understanding that this guy was simply unable to handle genuine moments, upping his goofiness everytime. Endearing...?
'Nope!' she shook her head. 'It's weird and annoying! Weird and annoying!'

"Okay, okay, okay," Xiao's been pacing around, dressed up and waiting for Ao Bing to come pick her up. "okay!"
"How many okay's?" one of the kids whispered to another one.
"Fifty-two." she whispered back.
"Would you stop fidgeting?" Yin said, fixing her hair jewelry. "For once you look clean, you don't want to look messy."
"I am so nervous. What if I mess up? I don't know how to wear heels so I got flats, what if he finds it ugly and he ends up hating me?!"
"Oh lord." she sighed.
Haoran had enough and went to place his hands on her shoulders, but Yin slapped them away.
"Don't touch the dress with your dirty hands!"
"Whatever!" he glared at her before leaning towards Xiao, speaking softly. "Xiao, you know you've experienced worse."
"...But this is so new and scary."
"Until it won't be, you'll get through this. Like always."
She took a deep breath.
"Right, you're right."

"Xiao!" a kid by the window called out. "Your crush's here!"
"Nevermind it's still super scary!"
"Just go!" Yin and Haoran exclaimed.
"Alright alright!"
She rushed to the front door, not wanting to have him knock on the door and get a glimpse of their 'humble' home. She took another deep breath before opening the door and stepping out, closing the door behind her. Her eyes widen when she saw Ao Bing, stepping out of his car, wearing a beautiful fancy dark blue suit. His eyes widen as well when he saw her and the two of them stood there for a moment, admiring the other. Eventually she walked up the him and he smiled.
"You look...gorgeous."
"Ehehe, you too. And look," she nervously gestured back and forth between their outfit of a similar blue. "we're matching."
"Heh, we do. A perfect pair." he opened the door for her and bowed. "If I may have the pleasure of escorting you."
She giggled and bowed back.
"You may."

Hiding, the others watched as she got into the car and rode away. The kids were excitedly whispering and gossiping, Yin and Haoran however recognized Xiao's date.
"The Dragon Clan?!" they looked at each-other. "That's great/terrible!"
"Huh?" Yin tilted her head. "What do you mean terrible?"
He didn't answer and instead just passed around, a hand to his forehead.
"I know it's the mafia and it might be dangerous, but this could be a great thing for all of us." she said. "If she gets to date this guy, we'll be set for life, and we'll be in a secured place!"
"You can't understand Yin," he looked at her. "if they found out, she'll be..." he trailed off.
"What are you talking about? Is there something I don't know?"
He realized he already said too much and he noticed the others staring at him. He clenched his fist.
"Look after the kids." he said as he walked out of the house.
"Hao! Wait!"
But the young man was already gone.

Xiao was glued to Ao Bing ever since they stepped out of the car and in the top floor of the skyscraper, into a fancy venue full of fancy people and with fancy jazz playing in the background. Her outfit did attract a lot of attention, but as it turned out, it didn't made her feel like she thought it would. She felt so out of her element that she let Ao Bing do most of the talking, really grateful he did it without her asking.
"Ao Bing, who is this lovely person with you?" a woman asked. "Since when do you have any interest in dating?"
He chuckled.
"I'm not that close minded at the prospect, I just have priorities. This is Xiaodan, a dear friend of mine."
This wasn't the first time he introduced her as his 'dear friend' but she'd get flustered by it everytime. She bowed.
"It's nice to meet you."
"And what do you do Xiaodan?" a business man asked.
"I'm..." she cleared her throat. "I'm a mechanic."
He laughed, but it didn't sound genuine. The people's laugh here never did.

"A mechanic? A beauty such as yourself?"
"Y-yes?" she nodded, not sure if that was a compliment or a subtle insult.
"Did you learn it from your father or a teacher perhaps?"
She pursued her lips, forcing herself not to frown.
"I'm self-taught, I have been for ten long years now."
"Even if she wasn't," Ao Bing said with a pressing tone, looking at the man dead in the eyes. "I don't see why her father or her teacher should get the credit for her achievement and her level of skills."
The business man took a small step back.
"R-right, of course."
"Now, if you'll excuse us." he placed a hand on her shoulder opposite to him and gently brought her away with him, then he leaned a bit closer and spoke quietly. "I'm sorry, I forgot you're not used to... 'rich people'-talk, they're so irritating." he clicked his tongue.
"That's okay." she smiled at him. "I'm glad you were here to save my ass."
He huffed a smile.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?"
"I'd love to." she exhaled.
They went out to a balcony. Xiao leaned on the rails and sighed, admiring the view of the city. It was still hard to believe that she was in one of those skyscrapers she'd always look up at.
"Want something to drink?" Ao Bing asked. "Some wine maybe?"
"You saw me taste alcohol less than an hour ago." she smiled at him. "Do you want me to puke?"
He snickered.
"You held it in the first time."
She chuckled.
"I'm good thanks." she looked ahead, her smile fading. "It's just...so frustrating whenever people assume that, if I'm good at something, I *must* have gotten it from someone else. Like 'man your dad must be really proud' or 'you must have a good teacher'." she sighed. "It just sucks y'know?"

"I..." he looked ahead as well. "I can relate yes."
"Wait, really?"
"As the third son, I always have to prove myself. And when I do, it's always like 'oh of course you're good at what you do, that's the bare minimum' like, I just did something that benefits you, a little thank you would be appreciated." he said, getting worked up.
Xiao frowned slightly.
"Who's saying that?"
"My father."
Hearing this, she was confused. The cool and smooth Ao Bing being neglected by his dad and being sad about it? She found it odd. Plus she figured that bonding over this sort of stuff probably wasn't the happiest thing ever.
"But...I'm glad you're not like that."
He opened his hand and her face lit up in wonder when she saw him a flower made of ice forming in his hand out of thin air. People weren't stupid, they figured people from the De family from the 'Dragon Clan' were actual dragons, still, to see their powers for yourself, Xiao was at a loss. With a soft smile he handed it to her.
"I'm glad I found you."

They looked into each-other's eyes, the light evening wind hitting them both. After a moment, she gently took the flower, their hands touching in the process. She blushed.
'I'm glad I'm wearing gloves, my fingers would've frozen otherwise.'
She kept looking at the beautiful sculpture, admiring it as he admired her.
"Sir?"
They were both startled and turned around, one of his henchmen just opened the door.
"May I have a word with you?"
"Ah-" Ao Bing quickly glanced at her, he almost forgot about this. "I'll be right there." he smiled at her. "If you'll excuse me."
"N-Not at all, go ahead."
He nodded and went back inside. Now alone, she looked at the flower again. She still felt that something was off, after discovering that he had his own issues and things he had to deal with. And as mean as it will sound: it kinda turned her off from this whole romantic date.
'Oh my lord...The masked weirdo was right!'

Suddenly, the flower quickly melted and slipped through her fingers and into a little puddle. She was confused at first, then the door opened again and Ao Bing walked out, holding a piece of paper with a paperclip in his hand. He did not look happy.
"Ao Bing...?"
"You know I despise being lied to."
"What?"
"My men have done a background check on you, Xiaodan Shijiang."
Her heart dropped and she became paler. Her hands began to shake.
"According to this document: you are dead."

He showed her the paper he was holding, a death certificate with her name on it, attached by the paper clip was a picture of her, except she was much younger and her hair was its natural black color. Xiao watched in horror.
"Explain yourself. Have this been a trick this whole time?"
"N-no! I swear!" she shook her head. "I-I'm not even sure what happened! I-"
She clenched her hands together and bit her lower lip, panicked.
"Xiao," he said in a softer voice. "just please, tell me the truth."
She took a deep but shaky breath.

"It was me, mom and dad. They saved up all their money so they could build the Shijiang orphanage, it was their dream and I was happy they were happy. But then, just a few days after moving in, there was a big accident and the whole east wing fell apart with us in it. And we died...I think. Yet, after a while, I woke up and I got out of there. I didn't have a single scratch, like nothing happened. But my parents..." she gripped her dress. "They were most definitely dead. I went up to the workers who were looking over the damaged for help, but they just cried ghost and ran away as soon as they saw me."
"That's where the rumor comes from..." Ao Bing whispered.
"I know it sounds crazy, trust me I know." she looked up at him with glassy eyes. "Even I still can't believe it even after ten years. I... I don't know what's wrong with me. But I *know* I'm supposed to have died back then."
She hunched over, sobbing and her shoulder shaking. Seeing her like this, Ao Bing reached out but then retracted his hand. He pursued his lips, he just needed verbal confirmation and now he got it.
"Xiao." he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. "This...I'm sorry you had to go through this. I believe you, but it is indeed strange." he paused. "Maybe my father could help you."
She sniffed, wiped her tears, then nodded. Ao Bing gave her a bit longer to feel better before going back inside.

Haoran finally reached the Dragon Clan tower and was ready to search every single floor if it meant making sure Xiao was safe.
"I recognize you."
He yelped in surprise when suddenly the masked man was casually standing in front of him.
"You...?"
"You're Xiao's brother right?"
"Do you know what floor she's on?!"
"What do you wanna know?"
"None of your business!"
"Is it because you wanna protect her because she literally cannot die?"
He became tense.
"How do you-"
"Honestly, I'm more curious about how *you* know?" he leaned closer. "Will you tell me~? We both wanna keep her safe you know?"
Haoran clenched his fist, glaring at him, but he eventually gave in.
"Seven years ago, she found be in the streets and took me in to live with her..."

[/!\ tw: blood, lots of it]
The two teenagers carefully looked around the corners before fourteen-year-old Xiao led the way to the little market opened 24/7, twelve-year-old Haoran following behind her. Without being seen, they stole food and some hair dye before running out of there as fast as they could. Xiao laughed wholeheartedly as they did.
"Mission accomplished!"
"Right!" he looked back at her. "We're getting good at thi-Oomph!"
Just as they were going into an alleyway, he bumped into someone and fell back on the ground. He looked up and yelped when he saw a group in black suits looking down at him.
"Hey watch where yer goin' kid!"
"Dude," one of them picked up one of the products. "that's the stuff you get in the little supermarket down the street!"
"That's one of our drug hideout! You steal from the, you steal from us!" he grabbed him by the collar. "What else did you take you bra-Gaah!" he exclaimed as Xiao threw the bottle of hair dye at his face.
"Hey asshole!" she shouted. "Why don't you fight someone your own smell?! Go wrestle a trashcan or something!"
With an enraged look, the mafiosi let go if Haoran, him and his associates went up to her.

"Go home Hao."
"Xiao no! What are you doing?!"
"Just go! I'll be fine!"
"You're pretty confident aren't ya?" the man said.
"Come at me pussies!"
She began to punch them, but of course it wasn't doing much.
"This girl is really starting to piss me off!"
"Xiao! Just stop it please!"
"Hao! Just run!" she looked back at him. "I'll be back, I promise!"
Just as she said that, the man grabbed on to her head with one hand and slit her throat with a knife in the other. Haoran watched in terror as the dreadful sound of gushing blood filled the alleyway. The man let go of her body, and the boy ran as fast as he humanly could. Since he had nowhere to go, he went back to the orphanage and stay curled up in an old bed. For the rest of the day, and for the following night, he didn't move, he didn't sleep. The image of his only friend drowning in a pool of her own blood was carved into his mind.

"Hao?"
He looked up. Was he hearing things now?
"Hao~ you there?"
Stumbling because of the lack of sleep, he walked out of his room and went to the entry hall. There was Xiao, looking for him. She was standing, her clothes were soaked in dried blood, yet her skin was just as flawless, no marks whatsoever. His shaky legs gave up on him and he fell down.
"Oh thank gods, there you are." she smiled.
She walked up to him but he almost immediately crawled back, hitting the wall behind him.
"G-Ghost!"
Her expression twisted, like her heart broke.
"Please, not you too." she said in a breathy voice. "Hao it's me."
"N-no! You d-...You died! I saw your body!"
The young boy was still in shock. She sighed sadly and looked around. Eventually she went to the kitchen and went back with a knife. He pressed his back against the wall again and was about to scream, but then Xiao made a small cut on the back of her hand before tossing the knife aside. She showed the cut to him and simply waited. After a moment, the cut glowed a cyan blue light and slowly closed, leaving no trace. There was another moment of silence, Haoran was dumbfounded.

"Don't look at me like that." she shrugged. "Even I have no clue what 'this' is."
Still stumbling, Haoran took wary steps towards her and slowly reached out to hold her hand, making sure she was actually there. When she squeezed back, he burst into tears and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back with built up tears in her eyes.
"See, I told you I'd be fine."
"Just, please promise me you'll never do this again!" he sobbed.
"...I'll try not to."

Haoran looked away, overwhelmed. Throughout his tale, the masked man has been patiently listening.
"Worst part," he spoke again. "this wasn't the last time it happened."
The masked man sighed sadly, hanging his head down and slowly shaking his head. He felt ashamed for only finding her now, she would've have had to go through this.

---

Ao Bing led Xiao back inside to see his father. To be completely honest, when she saw him from afar, she didn't think much of him, he looked like your average business man. But now that she was standing in front of him, she could sense this aura of authority and control emanating from him. She gulped. Although, another thing that threw her off was that Ao Bing seemed to also feel a certain pressure.
"F...Father?" he cleared his throat. "This is the young woman I talked to you about, Xiaodan."
She bowed. His father looked at her up and down before smiling warmly. Now he looked really friendly, the change of atmosphere threw her off even more.
"Ah yes. my son told me a lot about you."
"R-really?" she blushed.
"Father, we think you might have answers regarding this." he handed him the death certificate along with the picture.
He carefully scanned it. As he did, Ao Bing leaned closer and whispered to him.
"It's him father, I know it. She told me, and you can see it, she literally came back to life."
"...There's only one way to find out." he whispered back, with a graver expression.
"Find out...what?" Xiao asked, having heard half of what they said.

Ao Guang smiled, friendly-looking again.
"Please, follow me."
He began walking away. Xiao stood still hesitant, Ao Bing looked at her and nodded as a way to say that this was safe. Then she walked beside him as his father led them to his office. She had a moment of awe when she saw the wall behind the desk was one giant aquarium with a variety of fish and even some sharks. Ao Guang stopped and stayed still, his back turned to them.
"So, ever since you were born, you simply couldn't die nor get hurt, correct?"
"W-well, yeah...? Everytime I cut or bruise myself, the injury glows blue and then disappears."
"Mmh... I see. And when you 'died', were you still conscious?"
"Of course not. I died then I wake up."
He chuckled.
"It's not as instant as that."
"What do you m-"

Ao Guang suddenly turned around and extended a hand towards her, next thing she knew lightning came out of his hand and struck her in the guts. With a dry cry, she was knocked back and fell on her back.
"Xiao!" Ao Bing exclaimed. "Father wha-"
"Calm down will you? She won't die from this." he coldly said as he readjusted his sleeve. "And since this is a non-human attack, surely he will show up. Just make sure she stays conscious to see him."
His son wanted to say something, but a glance from him was enough for Ao Bing to rushed towards Xiao's side. Her dress has been burnt, leaving a hole on the level of her stomach where a black spot was, along with some blood. She was twitching.
"Xiao," he held up her head. "stay with me. Please stay up. You'll be fine."
She couldn't talk, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Then, she stopped twitching, her breath was going steady again as her whole body enveloped in a soft blue light. Ao Bing gasped when he watched her dark eyes becoming a bright cyan. Her eyes widen when the light formed into a giant silhouette of a praying monk with nine dots on his forehead in a rectangular pattern.

Meanwhile, the masked man and Haoran turned their heads towards the building when they saw a bright cyan light coming from one of the windows. Considering a party was happening, this wouldn't have alerted anyone, anyone but these two.
"Xiao!"
The masked man clenched his fist. Haoran began running but he grabbed his collar, stopping him and tossing him aside.
"I admire the thought kid, but this is gods' and demons' business. Better to stay out of it, unlike Xiao, you only have one life." knowing he'd protest, he looked into his eyes and added with his most honest of tone. "I'll protect her."
The young man looked back at the building before glaring at him.
"If anything happens to her I'll kill you!"
The masked man nodded before rushing inside.
'Sorry kid,' he thought. 'but you know something already happened to her.'

Xiao stomach was completely healed at this point, but she wasn't paying any attention to that. With her mouth agape, she sat up and silently cried, her and Ao Bing fixed on the monk above her with astonishment. Ao Guang smiled.
"I see that our theory was correct." he walked up to her. "You my dear, are Tang Sanzang."
She looked at him, not understanding a thing, as she did, the light disappeared and her eyes went back to normal. Her tears still flowed down her face as he spoke, but she didn't sob.
"You must have heard about him, the monk possessing Golden Cicada's powers. Well you are now in possession of such powers. He tends to sometimes reincarnate whenever he is needed, when a great time of crisis is on the horizon for example. Because his reincarnation are so invaluably precious, he protects them at all costs even without them unlocking his primordial spirit. So unless it is of natural causes, you simply cannot die." he leaned a bit closer. "And I suppose your mechanical skills allow you to project this indestructibility unto the machines you work on." he chuckled and glanced at his son. "I suppose that explains the sudden sturdiness of your multiple cars." he looked back and her and leaned back up. "But now, I must ask you for a favor Xiao. As I said, Tang Sanzang only reincarnates when he is needed. A war is about to break, the order of the gods is about to fall apart and the clans will resume their battle to the death in order to built a new one. Soon everyone will have to pick a side, or they'll die alone. And I believe fate has brought us together." he removed his glove, revealing a mechanical hand and offered it to her. "Join me, you will be a valuable ally in the upcoming war, the Dragon Clan will protect you from any danger possible. Together we will conquer over the clans and take over Heaven."

At this point, Xiao has stopped crying. Ao Bing stood up and went to stand beside his father, waiting for her answer. She looked back and forth between the two men.
"...Are you insane?!" she exclaimed and she clumsily stood up. "You struck me with lightning just to prove a theory, I discover I'm the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva and now you're telling me all this apocalyptic war stuff?! What is wrong with you?! I don't want to be involved in your clan war business ever!!!" she turned around and began walking away. "I'm going home!"
Ao Guang frowned, with a wave of his hand, he made giant purple corals spring out from under the floor tiles and blocked the doors.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go this easily. You're way to useful."
"Oh what are you gonna do?" she turned back to face him. "Kill me?"
"It is true, it would be counterproductive." he smiled again, but this time it was way more sinister looking. "But I can just lock you up in a cage, torture you and force your powers out of you, leave you to starve, or humiliate you in front of the whole city. Maybe all three of these."
As he spoke, her face became paler. Seeing her shaking, he chuckled. Xiao looked at Ao Bing with pleading eyes, he heard her unspoken pleas for help and stood in between them.
"F-father, I'm sure if we just-"
"Son." he spoke in a clear and cold voice. "For once you've done something good by bringing Sanzang to me. Do not ruin all of that with your goody-two-shoes ideas, that's just pathetic."
With shaky shoulders and clenched fists, Ao Bing stepped aside, avoiding looking at Xiao, who was both heart-broken and enraged. Ao Guang glared at him for a bit longer before walking up to her. She stepped back in fear, before she could think of anything to try to escape, a window crashed, shards of glass flying in the air. They all protected their heads and closed their eyes. When Xiao opened them again, she saw the masked man standing between her and the mafia boss.

"You?!" Her and Ao Guang exclaimed at the same time.
They looked at each-other, thinking the same thing: they both knew him? The difference was that while she was confused, the man smiled and laughed.
"I see what's going on." he smirked at him. "Why make an enemy out of me? You know that's not very wise."
"I just hate assholes," he coldly said. "and you're being one right now, to my friend nonetheless."
"Your friend huh?" he glanced at her. "Does that mean she knows?"
The masked man didn't respond.
"Ah~ I see." he looked down. "So that's how it is."
He suddenly shot lightning out of his hand, targeting the masked man, but he deflected it with his metal rod. The lightning went sideways before going back straight towards Xiao. The masked man quickly turned around and grabbed her by the waist to get her out of the way, but in the process, he was hit in the face and his mask was tossed in the air, falling on the floor. In his arms, Xiao looked up at him. She gasped and stepped back, away from him. He had no ugly features per se, nor was he disfigured, he quite literally had the face of a monkey. Seeing her reaction, he frowned sadly.

"You see Xiao, our old demon friend here has always been very selfish, for the right price he'd do anything you ask. I suppose when he saw you, he wanted you all to himself. He must've kept you under his radar for quite some time now." he chuckled.
Her eyes widen.
'That's why he kept calling me...'
"Well now, enough pleasantries." he snapped his fingers.
The corals went back underground and the doors opened, a dozen of henchmen, wielding various blades, came in and circled them.
"I wanted to be merciful and let you go." he addressed the monkey demon. "But then I remembered that, despite the deal we've made, not only have you never contacted us since, but I've also heard that Yaksha has recently been defeated by Nezha, who now has a very strong grasp of his fire powers. You've been training him haven't you?"
No response. Xiao looked around at the henchmen, anxious.
"I am hurt, old friend. What about the deal we've made."
"I never accepted your deal in the first place. I just took the money."
"A shame." he sighed and turned around. "Kill him."

As the henchmen charged at him, one of them grabbed Xiao by the arm to get her out of here, but the monkey demon almost immediately knocked him out with one punch. As he kept fighting them off without even using any powers, Xiao quickly scanned the room before running to get his mask before running back to him. She grabbed his shoulder as he was holding one of the men by the collar.
"Come on! The door's open, let's get out of here!"
He looked shocked at first, but he quickly threw the guy he was holding to knock over a couple of other guys. He grabbed her by the waist again, holding her up.
"No need for doors!" he faced the broken window.
"Wha-Aaaaaaah!" she held on tight as he made a run for it and jumped out.
Small reminder that they were on one of the top floors of the tallest skyscraper in Donghai. Xiao kept screaming as the demon took his mask back and placed it on his face. They fell for a few seconds before he stuck his metal stick into the building's concrete, making them both swing before he took it out. They began falling again before he once again stuck the metal rod into the building, repeating the process until they were safely on the ground. He let go of Xiao who stumbled a little bit, she was still shook but they both knew there was no time to recover. They got on his bike and rode back to his place.

Without saying a word, Xiao let herself fall backward on the couch, her eyes closed. She was simply mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. Some little monkeys climbed on top of her and laid down on her stomach. She looked at them and smiled. The masked man sat on the table, his elbow on his thighs and his fingers intertwined. He was looking down, avoiding her gaze. None of them said anything for a while.
"Who are you? Seriously." she finally asked.
"...Sun Wukong."
Her eyes widen.
"Damn." she said under her breath.
He couldn't help but chuckle at such a small reaction. There was a moment of silence.
"...You know what my first thought was when the mask came off?" she asked. "'That's his actual hair? I thought it was part of the mask!'" she let out a small laugh, facing up again and covering her eyes from the light with her forearm.
"Oh was it?" he sarcastically asked.
"...Honestly, I was more shocked than anything. I didn't mean to be rude...sorry."

"I should be the one saying sorry."
"Huh, why? For trying to keep me away from the maniac who struck me with lightning?" she lifted up her arm and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "One thing though: if you knew what my whole deal was, why did you keep it from me?"
"Would you have believed me? The weirdo in a mask?"
"...Good point." she glanced to the side then smiled at him. "Still, between you and them, I'd go with you without a second thought."
He looked at her.
"What about Ao Bing?"
"Ao Bing, he's..." she sighed and covered her eyes again. "He wasn't who I thought he was."

Behind his mask, he raised his eyebrows.
"And I am?"
"Well...you're still the same aren't you? Only difference is that now you're a monkey man. As long as you don't try and keep me for yourself you'll be fine in my book."
He blinked twice, taken aback by her sudden maturity, then smiled. Another moment of silence passed. Eventually, Xiao yawned.
"Can I sleep here tonight? I'm sorry I'm just completely worn out right now."
"'Course you can." he stood up and went to change to his pyjamas.
"And can I make a phone call? Need to tell the others I'm okay."
"Go ahead." he waved his hand.

The phone rung for about a mili-second before Haoran picked up and started asking a bunch of questions. Xiao knew that this would happen as soon as he found out her crush was from the Dragon Clan, which was why she never told him. She reassured everyone that she was okay and that she'd still over here tonight, but she didn't talk about the more shocking detail pun intended. When she hung up, some little monkeys brought her a sandwich and a glass of water.
"Aw, thank you." she shifted in her seat to face the table. "I haven't eaten all night."
She started eating and looked over at them.
"So you're his clones? He can make clones right?"
They nodded.
"Why are you so cute?"
She meant it more as a genuine question rather than a compliment, but they seem to have taken it that way and now they're flustered. One kicked the table with his hands behind his back, another one waved at her as if to say 'get outta here~'. Not the response she wanted, but she still chuckled at their reaction. After she's done eating, the masked man... Wukong, walked up to her stretching with a groan. She looked over, for the first time she saw him in something other than his suit and without all his jewelry. His interior outfit looked way more casual but not less expensive looking. He was wearing shorts and flip-flops and his robe exposed his chest, he was covered in brown fur.

"Knowing you, you're either disturbed or you like what you see." he said, he'd strike a pose if he wasn't tired himself.
She quickly looked away, only now realizing she's been staring at him.
"Heh. Here."
He handed her some spare clothes to sleep in, she took them with a 'thank you'. He scratched the back of his head.
"You can sleep in my room, I'll take the couch."
"Oh come on, I'll take the couch. Plus uh..." she looked around. "I honestly have no idea where your room could be. I've only been in this room and your garage and that's it."
He cackled.
"You'll be more safe in there. I mean come on," he gestured towards her. "you're right in the middle of the entry hall for the taking. If *I'm* here, the minute bad guys come in, I jump on 'em. Take the bed, I swear I cleaned my room!" he traced a cross on his chest where his heart is.
She smiled.
"Alright." she stood up. "But you're gonna have to lead the way."

And so he did, he opened the door for her and bowed.
"And if m'lady wants full service, we do offer breakfast in bed. But you gotta pay extra then."
She chuckled and walked in.
"I'm good thanks." she turned around. "Hey, thank you."
"Nah, thank *you*. Goodnight Xiao."
"Goodnight weirdo." she closed the door.
He laughed, she chuckled.

The next morning, Xiao and Wukong were ready to take her back to her place.
"Say," she frowned, remembering something. "what about this Nezha business, what's up with that?"
"Oh yeah, Li Yunxiang is the reincarnation of legendary troublemaking killer Nezha."
Her eyes widen.
"...Do you collect reincarnations? What is your deal here?" she smiled.
"Hey, he went to *me* first." he pointed at himself, then at her. "Just like *you* came to me first, if anything, I'm just lucky!"
"Xiao!" the door opened.

They both looked over to see Ao Bing coming in. He rushed towards her but Wukong stood in between them, stopping him.
"What do you want Ao Bing?" she asked, noticing his look of concern.
"I...I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I..." he looked down, clenching his fists. "I was so eager for my father to see me as useful, I didn't know he'd treat you like this I swear! And now, he...he knows where your orphanage is. He sent demons there to wait for you to come back but it's a trap!"
Wukong glanced back at her, she looked shocked but then calmed down. She gently pushed him aside and walked up to Ao Bing.
"You're not as cool as I thought you were Ao Bing."
A look of pain twisted his face.
"But," she sighed and looked down. "it was... It was shallow of me to think you were perfect."
Wukong was taken aback by this. She continued.
"I was only interested in you because I had this... image of the perfect cool and smooth guy. Which was just unrealistic, and I'm sorry for this." she looked back at him. "I get you have a lot of pressure of you and that you wanna prove yourself to your dad but...I don't that's ever gonna happen. Because honestly? Your dad's kind of an asshole."
Wukong had to retain a cackle for that.
"I really don't think he's worth it. And I genuinely don't want us to be enemies. But I don't wanna force you to chose." she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for telling me." she walked passed him.

"Wh-Where are you going?!" he looked at her. "I told you it was a trap! I warned you so you could hide or think of a plan!"
"I get it, thanks." she waved her hand and walked out.
Wukong chuckled and patted his shoulder, as he walked passed him and followed her. Watching her leave, Ao Bing felt is heart squeezed when her words echoed in his head. She had a point, maybe this whole war thing wasn't worth risking his life for.
Maybe he needed to think this over, manage his priorities...

The two of them stopped in front of the orphanage. Xiao led the way to the backdoor, but Wukong was the one to walk in first. To him, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but to Xiao, this silence was simply unnatural and something was clearly wrong. With careful steps, they walked in the living room. The children were all sitting together in a corner, tied up, they all looked terrified, Yin was bleeding from her forehead but she tried to look tough. Guarding them and making themselves at home was a gang of pig demons, who looked at them with mocking eyes when they came in. The home that just started becoming to look like one was now a real mess again. Xiao looked over to the kitchen and saw Haoran's body on the floor, motionless.
"Hao!" she exclaimed before glaring at the demons. "What did you do to him?!"
"Relax would you?" the biggest one, probably their leader, said. "He was being super annoying and we just knocked him out...For now." he smirked.
"Just let them go! It's me you want anyway!"
"Yeah but here's the thing, one: Mr. De told us to also take the kids as like 'assurance' to make sure you work for him and you keep working for him. And two: there is a lot of children here and we're kinda hungry, so one more or less, what difference does it make Imma right?!"
The other pigs laughed, Xiao clenched her fist, furious. Wukong stepped forward.
"Taking defenseless young humans hostage, you know, for a bunch of pigs, you're all real cowards." he snickered.
"What'dya call us you masked freak?!"
"No one will ever call you again after I'm done with you."

Using his telekinesis, he moved his metal stick to knock out the demons guarding the kids while he fought of the ones charging at him.
"Xiao!" he called. "Take it!"
He moved a knife from the kitchen and made it float in front of her.
"Thanks!"
She grabbed it and ran towards the kids on the other side of the large room, dodging any demons that tried to catch her. And whenever she was blocked, Wukong punched them out of the way. Once she reached them, she cut the ropes.
"Come on! Everybody out!"
Her, Yin and the oldest kids grabbed the youngest ones and ran out through the front door since the way there was clear. Once outside and at a safe distance, she counted them to make sure she didn't forget anyone, except she did. She clicked her tongue and turned back to the building but Yin grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going?!"
"Hao's still in there!" she shook her off and ran back inside. "I'll be fine!"

The place was a mess, furniture broken and all over the room, demons were either unconscious or seriously injured, but none of them stood up. Not seeing Wukong anywhere she went in the kitchen but stopped in the crashed and widened doorway. The gang leader, looking panicked and out of options, had Haoran by the hair and was pointing a knife at his neck. Wukong was on the other side of the room, just staring at him. They both noticed her.
"Ah~ there she is!" the pig smiled. "Now here's the deal, you go with me to Mr. De's and the lad won't drown in his own blood. What'dya say doll?"
"...okay."
"What?!" Wukong looked at her.
"X..Xiao." Haoran slowly opened his voice, speaking with a dry voice. "Don't...do this."
She walked up to Wukong and held his forearm.
"Take Hao and leave quickly. I'll be fine." she looked into his eyes. "Trust me."
"Yeah freak, trust her."

For a moment, he didn't move, but seeing the serious look in her eyes, he sighed, his shoulders dropping. The two of them went to the pig demon and exchanged hostages.
"Enjoy your last moments on earth." he said to him in a venomous voice.
"Heh, we'll see about that." the demon smirked.
Wukong sent one last look at Xiao, to which she simply nodded. Then he ran out of here. The pig laughed.
"I guess that'll be more money for me! Not only did I get the girl on my own, but I also got rid of his strongest assassin!" he sighed and began walking away, dragging her by the arm. "Come on doll, let's get out of here."
"Actually..." she said. "I haven't eaten in a while now, can I preheat something real quick?"
He stopped and looked at her.
"As like the last meal of my freedom." she added. "...We can share."
"Mmmh~ 'kay!" he let go of her arm but still had the knife pointed at her. "But I'm keeping an eye on you lil lady."
"I get it."

She took a deep breath and walked up to the kitchen counter.
"What are we gonna have?"
"I was thinking of something like..." she trailed off as she took hold of the gas stove's knob. "Grilled pork."
"Huh?"
She turned it to the max, a rumbling was heard, getting louder and louder.
"What the fu-?!"
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a large explosion, destroying half of the orphanage. And because there was lots of load-bearing walls there, it didn't take long for the whole building to go down. The kids watched their home fall apart, some cried, others were to in shock to even react.

The new ruins were still and silent for a while. But after an hour or so, a bright cyan light glowed beneath the rumbles and pushed them apart to reveal Xiao's body enveloped in this light and healing from any injury she had. Once she was as good as new, she suddenly opened her eyes and inhaled. Looking up at the grey cloudy sky, she breathed deeply, her dress was torn and burned. Tears built up in her eyes and she cried uncontrollably, sobbing quietly. The thing was: although her invincibility gave her a strong tolerance to pain, dying then coming back to life was something big. Everytime she'd get revived she'd get this dreadful feeling in the part of her body where her fatal injury was from. And she just died from an explosion, so she felt it throughout her entire body. It never hurt, but it was so uneasy that she'd cry from it everytime. She sat up and hunched over, grabbing the fabric covering her chest with shaky hands. She wanted this feeling to go away as soon as possible, even though she knew it always took a long while.
Then, she noticed someone coming closer and looked up to see Wukong, looking down at her. She sniffed and looked back down, sobbing. He removed his mask and kneeled down to look at her at her. Gently, he placed a hand on her cheek and made her look at him.
"Xiao, I promise you." he slowly said, wiping a tear away with his thumb. "As long as I'm here, you won't have to do this ever again."
Her eyes widen, the way he spoke and looked at her in the eyes. She felt a warmth in her chest, different from what she felt when she was with Ao Bing. This was comforting. She held his hand and kept crying. They stayed like this until she felt better.

Xiao didn't feel like explaining herself after what happened the past day, so she was glad to learn that Wukong already explained everything to the kids before he went looking for her. Everyone hugged her tightly when she came back.
"Wha...Where do we go now?" Bolin asked.
She pursued her lips, she had an idea, but she didn't want to say it. So she smiled.
"Well first we should get the injured to a hospital."
"I got a bus if you want." Wukong said. "I'll go get it, wanna come?"
"And leave them alone?"
"They'll be fine~ the Dragon Clan doesn't even know the pigs failed yet. We just gotta be quick." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to talk about..." he whispered in her ear.
Her eyes widen slightly, then she smiled when he stepped back.
"Alright, let's go. But quickly! Make use of that double engine!"
They left but quickly came back riding a bus covered in colorful graffitis.

"Not the greatest camouflage don't you think?" she asked.
"On the contrary my dear friend!" he raised an index. "If the Dragon Clan thinks we're hiding, then they'd never think we'd be driving in such a flashy vehicle!" he slapped the outside. "All aboard~!"
The kids claimed his logic flawless and hopped on. Xiao smiled and help Yin bring Haoran in before quickly searching the rumbles for spare clothes that surprisingly survived the explosion, can't be going around in a shredded dress forever. They arrived at the hospital outside of town, Haoran needed had a broken rib and arm and so needed to stay for a while, but the rest of the kids only had minor injuries that could be treated on the spot. Yin, with bandage wrapped around her head, covering her forehead, and Xiao sat on either side of Haoran's bed as he slept. Yin looked conflicted by what her sworn sister just told her, but Xiao looked set on whatever she just offered.

"What you're asking for, it's..." Yin slightly shook her head and looked up at her. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"
"...I really don't." she honestly said. "But, I'll be fine, I'm sure of it."
"You always say that. How many times did you leave home, died then came back like nothing happened huh?"
"...I'm always careful."
"How many Xiao?" she pressed, though there was nothing harsh about her behavior.
She pursued her lips and looked down.
"In the ten years I've been an orphan, probably a dozen of times, maybe a few more."
Yin sighed, burring her face in her hands.
"I'm so sorry." she looked at her, crying.
"What are you apologizing for?" she smiled with a raised eyebrow.
Yin stood up and went to hug her.
"I'm sorry you carried all this pain for so long all by yourself."
Xiao's heart twisted, she hugged her back.
"Living with you guys?" she softly said in a breathy voice. "There was nothing painful or lonely about that."

"Come on everybody! We're leaving!" Xiao gestured the kids to get in the bus. "Let's leave the good doctors to do their jobs!"
"But where are we going?!" Bolin asked, frowning.
"Can't tell you it's a surprise."
"Are we going to Dinosaur Park?!"
"I've always wanted to go to Dinosaur Park!" the youngest were suddenly very excited.
"We are not going to Dinosaur Park dumbass!" an older (and edgier) kid said. "We got better things to do than playing games!"
"Okay how 'bout this: potentially Dinosaur Park?" she gestured to the bus before pointing at the hospital. "Or shots and medicine syrup?! Choose your fate!"
The choice was quickly made and sure enough, everyone took their seats on the bus. Wukong laughed before driving away. They drove for a long while, across the city and out of town by the mountains. Everyone looked out in awe.
"I've never seen so much green before!" Xiao said with a big smile.

Wukong chuckled. The road came to a stop so they parked beside a tiny yellow car and they walked further into the forest. They stopped in front of a big house by a river. Wukong knocked on the door and a tall beefy blue man with fins for ears. Xiao's eyes widen and the kids took a step back in shock, this was the house of a river god! He looked intimidating with his long beard, but then he saw who knocked on his door and smiled.
"Oh my! Wuk-uh, my old friend!" he shook his hand. It's good to see you after so many years!" he looked at the humans behind him. "Are they the children you spoke about? I am so happy to have company over," he warmly smiled at them. "I sure hope we get along well! I'll go prepare some tea!" he excitedly went back inside.
"What is he talking about Xiao?"
She faced them with a pained smile. Wukong answered for her.
"This is my long time friend Sha Wujing. He agreed to let you guys live with him for a while. I'd trust him with my life, you'll be safe here."
"We're staying *here*?!" they looked at her. "Really?!"
Yin looked down, her lips pursued.
"Actually..." Xiao said. "I'm staying in Donghai with him." she nodded towards Wukong.
"What?!"
"If you stay with me, it'd only make you a target. I don't want to put you in any danger. I know Sha Wujing is a stranger but..." she looked at Wukong and smiled. "I trust this masked weirdo."

He let out a little 'heh'. She looked back at the children, some of them were about to cry. She puffed up her chest and walked past them, away from the house.
"Plus, y'know, I'll be busy fulfilling my destiny, put an end to the legendary war and save the world." she stopped and looked back and them with a smug smile. "I already met the legendary hero Sun Wukong so~..."
"What?! No way!" the kids were suddenly hyped up. "Can we meet him too?!"
"I mean~ right now he's pretty busy, but I'll try to send his autographs to you guys. Promise!"
"Promise!" they all said.
As the kids asked her to bring back stuff for them like a cool sword or a dragon scale, Yin went up to Wukong.
"She says she trusts you, but are you really worth it?" she asked with a grave expression. "She wouldn't trust someone who's wearing a mask all the time. But she would blindly trust a pretty face."
A few seconds passed before he lifted his mask a little bit while the kids weren't watching. Yin gasped and he winked before putting his mask back.
"I'm surprised too." he said, looking at Xiao. "She's not so shallow anymore."
"...I guess she's not."

They all had tea with Sha Wujing, who turned out to be a real giant teddy bear, they explored the house for a bit, impressed that there really was enough space for everyone. But Xiao and Wukong had to leave eventually. They all walked together to the road. Xiao shared cheerful goodbye to the young kids, with the oldest it was more bittersweet, and Yin simply hugged her tightly. They also all thanked Wukong for helping them.
"Love you guys~! Be nice! Don't cause trouble! And Yin, go visit Hao frequently!" she waved at them from the bus' open door.
"Bye Xiao~! Go kick some demon butts!"
"Come back soon!"
"Love you~!"
They kept waving and shouting at each-other until they were out of sigh. Xiao went back in the bus and closed the door, leaning her back against it.

"Man, those were cool kids!" Wukong said. "And don't worry about Sha Wujing, he had to deal with me for a long time, so you *know* he can handle-"
He stopped himself and looked over at Xiao when he heard her sob. She hasn't paid attention to what he just said. She's held back her tears ever since they got here, to not worry the kids, and now she was letting it all out. She had no idea when she'll see them again and the thought broke her heart. She slowly slid down to the floor and curled up, covering her face in her hands. She then felt tiny things climbing up her legs, she looked up and saw her little monkey friends, lots of them, standing on her knees while others were surrounding her, looking concerned. She looked up at Wukong, who kept his eyes on the road, then she sniffed and hugged them all, sobbing as they comforted her. Not a lot of words were exchanged during this ride, not verbally at least.

They came back to the abandoned factory and stood on the platform he'd preach almost every morning, just looking over the city. Xiao sighed, she was the one who proposed they went up there.
"Just enjoying what might be my last moment of calm and silence. 'Cause I assume things are gonna get more crazy from now on right?" she looked at him."
"Meh, who knows." he shrugged. "They do have to deal with Nezha too, maybe he'll take care of the Dragon Clan for you!"
"Maybe, but there's also this whole 'new order of the gods' thing right?"
"Right...right." he scratched the back of his head.
"That's okay. I'll be..." she trailed off then smiled. "We'll be fine. We're a good team."
She raised her fist to him, he smiled and bumped it with his.

"Say, are you gonna dye your hair again?" he asked.
She took a lock of her hair and looked at it. Indeed, parts of her skull had to regenerate when she came back to life, so her hair on these spots grew back with their natural black color.
"...nah. I think I'll let it grow out." she smiled.
"Oh great!" he put his hands behind his head. "'Cause that color was Te-Ri-Ble on you!"
She scoffed, smiling.
"Says the one with white hair! Is that a fashion choice or are you just old?!"
"I'll have you know it's both! I'm millenniums old and I choose to keep my hair that way."
She laughed.
"What? Are you doubting my fashion sense?!"
"I am very much doubting yes, now that I know this is your actual hair it's just weird! But you know what?" she kept looking at him as he walked back inside. "I'm so used to you being weird that if you changed it, I'd just be disturbed."
He cackled and left to get himself a drink. She looked up at the sky, smiling.

Yeah, whatever happens in the future, they'll be fine.