Aimisi Came to Be Emperor

Auntie Bo leaned against the checkout counter, taking in the siblings' antics. She couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

"You two really do get along well."

At Auntie Bo's words, Aimisi proudly raised her chin, looking as though it went without saying.

"Of course! My big brother and I get along best."

With that, she deliberately turned to Wuling and raised an eyebrow at him, showing off playfully.

Wuling sighed helplessly, though he couldn't hide the gentle smile on his face. "You sure know how to talk," he muttered. "Who's the one always stealing my snacks and fighting me for the remote at home?"

"That's just friendly sibling interaction!"

Aimisi retorted without a hint of shame, then stuck out her tongue, looking charming and cute.

"And how dare you expose my embarrassing past, big brother? That's awful! Come here and give me a shoulder rub."

"Quit messing around. I'm still at work."

"Those who submit to me shall prosper, and those who defy me shall perish! Aimisi came here today to be emperor. Aimisi can do whatever she wants! Anyone who dares point out my faults to my face shall have nine generations of their family executed. Anyone who criticizes me online shall suffer the ultimate punishment. Anyone who mocks me in the marketplace or at court and reaches my ears shall be ordered to take their own life."

"Ow!"

No sooner had Aimisi finished speaking than she received a flick on the forehead, neither too hard nor too soft—just enough to leave her stunned without hurting her brain.

"Your Chinese classes were wasted on you."

He coolly punctured her act. "You've butchered that poem so badly that if your Chinese teacher heard it, they'd come looking for a heart-to-heart tonight."

"I don't care!"

Aimisi refused to give up. She skipped over to his side, clasped her hands behind her back, and tilted her head up, continuing to be unreasonable.

"I'm the most important one here now. Minister Wuling, hurry up and attend to your emperor with a shoulder rub!"

As she spoke, she deliberately shrugged her shoulders, looking ready to sit back and enjoy herself, with no sign that she'd just been flicked on the forehead.

Wuling gave up struggling and surrendered completely.

"All right, all right. You win."

Wuling put down the rag in his hand, stepped forward, and gently placed his hands on Aimisi's shoulders. Resigned, he gave them a tender massage.

Aimisi had gotten her way in an instant. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she narrowed them in comfort, swaying her head smugly.

"That's more like it. Minister Wuling, you're quite conscientious. I shall grudgingly pardon your offense."

Her soft ponytail swayed gently with her movements, and her face was full of satisfaction.

Chisaki stood quietly watching the two of them fool around, a hint of envy in her eyes.

"Comfortable, little emperor?"

Wuling asked helplessly, keeping the pressure of his fingertips gentle and even.

"Barely passable."

Putting on airs, Aimisi nodded with feigned arrogance and tipped her head back slightly, enjoying the service reserved just for her.

"A little harder. Don't you dare slack off."

"You sure are demanding."

Wuling laughed despite himself, but still adjusted the pressure as she wanted.

"Ahh, nice, nice. I didn't know you were so good at this, big brother. Why don't you become a massage therapist? You could make over ten thousand a month!"

"Thanks for the praise, but I'm not interested, thanks."

It was almost nine at night, and the midsummer sky had turned completely dark. Hazy moonlight dotted the inky blue sky, and rows of streetlights came on one after another, bathing the clean streets in a warm yellow glow and giving the entire shopping street an exceptionally gentle air.

No new customers had come into the shop for some time, and the last few tables had long since paid and left. The entire café had quieted down, leaving only the soft voices of the people inside.

"That's enough. I still have to finish cleaning up."

After massaging her for a while, Wuling intended to stop.

"No, no! Another thirty seconds!"

Aimisi immediately raised a hand to hold his wrist, refusing to let him move. "No slacking off, Minister. You must put your heart into serving His Majesty."

Her perfectly serious expression made Chisaki chuckle, her clear laughter echoing softly through the quiet front room.

Auntie Bo closed the account book and neatly put away the paper and pen. Smiling, she came to his rescue. "All right, Aimisi, let your brother go. He's been busy all afternoon, and he's tired enough. It's almost time to get off work, so tidy up and head home early to rest."

Only then did Aimisi reluctantly let go. She patted her shoulders and gave her assessment with a straight face.

"All right, the service was barely acceptable this time. Keep trying next time."

Wuling pulled back his hands and rubbed the top of her head in exasperation, mussing her neat ponytail slightly.

"There won't be a next time, so forget it."

Ignoring Aimisi's wails behind him, Wuling seemed to have suddenly developed selective hearing at that moment.

Most of the cleaning was already done. Wuling and Chisaki tackled what remained together, and in just a few minutes, the once-busy front room looked as good as new, as clean and tidy as it had been when the shop first opened.

Once they had finished, Wuling and Chisaki took off their uniforms, folded them neatly, and put them away in the changing room.

Before they left, Auntie Bo made a point of fetching a small box of soft, chewy milk cakes and handing it to Aimisi.

"These aren't too sweet, and they're soft. I got them especially for you to try."

"Huh? Auntie Bo, I can't take these. You've already spent too much."

Aimisi hurriedly waved her hands, trying to refuse, but Auntie Bo pressed the box into her arms anyway.

"It's all right. Consider it my treat. When you get old, you don't care so much about money anymore. There are many things more important than money."

Although Auntie Bo hadn't said so outright, Aimisi had a rough idea of what those more important things were.

"Then thank you, Auntie Bo. You're the best!"

Aimisi's eyes immediately lit up. She thanked Auntie Bo sweetly and obediently accepted the little box, holding it in her arms.

"Be careful on your way home. Just come in as usual tomorrow," Auntie Bo reminded them gently.

"Thank you, Auntie Bo. We'll be going now."

The three of them waved goodbye together and pushed open the café's glass door. The wind chimes rang out behind them, their clear notes soon swallowed by the gentle evening breeze.

As they stepped outside, the summer night breeze brushed against their faces, sweeping away all their fatigue.

There were few pedestrians on the exceptionally quiet street. Only the warm glow of the streetlights fell around them, stretching their shadows long across the pavement in overlapping layers.

Aimisi held the milk cakes in one hand and carried a heavy shopping bag in the other. It was full of cat food and little treats she had bought especially, and her eyes shone with anticipation.

"Come on, come on, let's go feed the kittens! I can't wait to see them. Besides, I bought so many tasty things today. Those little guys must be starving."

She eagerly jogged a couple of steps ahead, then immediately stopped and turned back, obediently waiting for Wuling and Chisaki, afraid they wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Most of the stuff you bought is snacks for yourself, isn't it?"

Seeing that her intentions had been exposed, Aimisi gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Ahaha, close enough, close enough. After all, I'm a cute little kitten too, meow~"

As she spoke, Aimisi held both hands in front of her face like paws and struck a cute pose.

Watching his sister so full of energy, Wuling shook his head helplessly and affectionately.

"All right, slow down. The road's slippery at night, so don't fall."

Chisaki walked beside them, a faint smile on her face as she watched Aimisi bouncing along.