The video store's dim yellow light fell across the wooden sofa. Belle sat upright, her back rigid and her eyes fixed on Wise across from her.
Her fingertips fidgeted with the hem of her clothes. On tenterhooks, she waited quietly for her brother to speak.
Wise propped his forehead on one hand and let out a long sigh. Exhaustion showed plainly on his face as he looked at his primly seated sister.
"You..."
His voice carried a note of resignation. "I don't know who stepped in to suppress the footage circulating on the streets, but ordinary people can't see it.
"Still, almost everyone in New Eridu's upper circles has already come across clues about it.
"Have you thought carefully about how much trouble this could bring Lu Yingheng? Countless eyes are already on him, and the undercurrents are already surging this way."
Belle stuck out her tongue, falling back on her usual cheeky act, but a trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes, and one shoulder drooped.
"But there's nothing I can do! Who knew Brother Heng would be so unfairly handsome? Every single person turns to look when he walks down the street. I can't stop other people from looking at him."
As soon as she finished speaking, Belle's phone buzzed on the table, its piercing ringtone breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the store.
Wise reached for the vibrating phone, his brow darkening as he swiped the screen to answer.
"Things have come to this. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
When the call connected, a deep, magnetic male voice came slowly through the receiver. Its measured tone carried the ease peculiar to someone in a high position.
"Hello, Phaethon. Or should I address you two directly as Wise and Belle?"
Wise: ╮( •́ω•̀ )╭
Wise's heart sank, and he began ranting inwardly.
Forget maneuvering and bargaining. From the moment the call connected, they were already at a complete disadvantage.
The person on the other end had already investigated him and his sister thoroughly, learning both their code name and their real identities. He held all the initiative.
What the hell is there left to play? I give up!
Belle leaned toward the phone, tilting her head slightly. "May I ask who you are?" she asked cautiously.
A faint chuckle came from the other end, revealing little emotion.
"I'm Mayor Mayflower. It's a pleasure to meet two promising young Proxies."
Wise's pupils contracted slightly, and a great wave of shock rose in his heart.
Mayor Mayflower, a powerful figure at the pinnacle of New Eridu's hierarchy, had personally called the video store.
Belle's eyes widened, and her voice rose without her realizing it, her face full of wariness.
"Mr. Mayor, you're calling us about the Dragon Emperor, aren't you?"
A brief silence came from the receiver.
Belle had already assumed the worst, immediately casting him as an adversary with ill intentions. She spoke first, her tone resolute.
"Mr. Mayor, we absolutely won't hand him over. To tell you the truth, the Dragon Emperor has lost his memory.
"Right now, he only trusts the two of us. If you intend to take him away by force..."
"There's no need to be so wary, Belle."
The mayor interrupted her, his tone calm and even. "I've known for a long time that he didn't die.
"To be precise, the Dragon Emperor's fall was a scheme we devised together from the start.
"I simply never expected that, after surviving the ordeal, he would end up being taken in by you two."
At those words, not only Belle but even the usually calm and composed Wise went completely blank, unable to process the bombshell for a moment.
Wise and Belle: (⊙o⊙)
Belle felt as though her brain's CPU had overloaded and burned out. She blinked, looking utterly bewildered.
"Mr. Mayor, what on earth are you talking about? Why can't I understand any of it?"
A voice carrying a trace of apology came through the receiver. His feelings remained impossible to discern, shrouded in layers of mystery.
"I explained it too hastily. The Dragon Emperor faked his death in public, and I helped him put on the show.
"On one hand, it could direct the citizens' ire toward the hostile forces lurking in hiding. On the other, it could lure out all the maggots that had long lain dormant beneath the city.
"At the same time, he could use the opportunity to temper himself and push his strength a step further. You could call it killing three birds with one stone."
Wise quickly forced himself to calm down and exchanged a glance with Belle, his brow tightly furrowed.
"According to you, that death back then was all staged? Then why did the Dragon Emperor lose his memory and end up like this?"
"That was simply the price the plan was supposed to exact."
The mayor's voice was mild and utterly without a ripple. "Rather than saying we planned it together, it would be more accurate to say that I saw through what he was secretly planning and provided him with resources and cover from the shadows.
"He didn't tell me all his motives. But there's no need to be too anxious. After some more time, he should slowly recover.
"As for the cost of taking him in, I'll have someone send over a black card with no spending limit later. You and your sister can use it as you please."
The moment Belle heard "black card with no spending limit," her eyes lit up slightly, her money-loving nature instantly revealing itself.
She couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from rising, but she still made a token show of politeness.
"Th-that wouldn't be right, would it?"
A burst of hearty, teasing laughter came from the other end. The mayor seemed to be enjoying the show, clearly in a good mood.
"There's no need to feel burdened. That card belongs to the Dragon Emperor himself."
Wise tightened his grip on the phone, his thoughts racing. He still didn't dare let his guard down completely.
There was still no way to tell how much truth and how much falsehood lay in each word spoken by this figure behind the scenes who held all of New Eridu in his hands.
Belle's eyes sparkled as she quickly calculated how many snacks, videotapes, and interesting little gadgets she could buy.
But then she remembered how Lu Yingheng had looked with his eyes closed, innocent and bewildered, and most of the delight faded from her face.
"Even if it's Brother Heng's own money, he can't remember anything now. What if he recovers later and wants to settle accounts?"
Belle muttered under her breath.
The mayor gave a meaningful chuckle over the phone.
"You can rest assured on that point. Right now, rather than worrying about money, you should understand that the forces watching the Dragon Emperor extend far beyond my own.
"Vivian's Dragon Emperor Bureau, the Hoshimi Family, and quite a few unknown figures hiding in the shadows have all caught wind of it.
"Protect him well. The video store will be the safest refuge for the time being."
When he finished, a faint busy signal sounded from the receiver. Mayflower offered no further explanation and simply hung up.
The room fell silent at once, leaving the brother and sister staring at each other.
Belle raised a hand and scratched the back of her head, still reeling from the shock, disbelief written all over her lively face.
Wise slowly put down the phone and let out a long breath, gazing solemnly outside, where Lu Yingheng, his memory lost, was quietly arranging the shelves.