It was a relatively short trip to their destination: the coastal city of Astrey. Just as Vanna had read about in the news the day before, it seemed that in these port cities, there was a serious problem with gang violence.
As for why Golden Enterprise's CEO and his team needed to investigate it personally, Vanna had absolutely no idea… and honestly, she was a bit too scared to ask.
Ever since they had boarded the private jet, there was a suffocatingly miserable atmosphere – which undoubtedly stemmed from Quynh Lê himself. He had a scowl on his face that was so terrifying it could freeze a river, and even glancing in his direction sent shivers down Vanna's spine. Unfortunately, there was nowhere and no one for Vanna to look to for any sort of comfort or answers.
Shizuka appeared to be irritated with the two men, because although she sat near Vanna, the business-woman's gaze never left the window. She seemed tense, tired, and completely unapproachable.
Liu Bai was as stoic as ever. For the entire duration of the trip, he sat in his seat cross-legged – with no seatbelt on. His tiger ears twitched occasionally, and his tail was curled neatly into his lap. If Vanna didn't know how strange he was, she would have gone as far as to call him cute.
The duration of their flight was only around an hour and a half, and they were nearing their descent… but after suffering through the stifling energy in the cabin, Vanna was dying for some sort of relief. Her eyes kept making their way back to Liu Bai's fluffy, white ears.
'They really look so soft,' she thought to herself. 'I wish I could touch them…'
The man was sitting directly in front of her, and he was realistically only an arm's length away. His eyes were closed, too, but Vanna couldn't be sure if he was sleeping or meditating – since that was something he evidently loved to do. The girl couldn't contain her curiosity, and soon the intrusive thought gave way to an intrusive action.
Vanna reached forward and gently squished his ear between her fingers. It was just as soft as it looked.
Liu Bai, however, was completely mortified. Not only was this random girl touching his ears, he hadn't even sensed her approaching! He was in a meditative state that allowed him to have full consciousness of his surroundings… and she somehow bypassed it. His light eyes opened, and his snowy brows furrowed angrily. The most maddening part about it all was, despite himself, it felt sort of nice to have his ears stroked so innocently and affectionately.
Still, he hissed, "What the hell?"
Vanna froze in place, realizing that she had actually done it. Her gentle, brown eyes widened in surprise and she stuttered, "Oh- I just… they looked so soft… I really wanted to pet them and find out…"
"Well?" Liu Bai said inquisitively. His tone was still laced with irritation, but there was a distinct interest belying the word.
"...What?" Vanna's lips pursed as she glanced back at him, looking completely puzzled.
Liu Bai rolled his eyes. "What is the verdict? Are my ears as pleasant to touch as you assumed?"
"Oh!" She started giggling, then reached up to grab his other ear with her free hand. Vanna gingerly stroked both of his ears and hummed in thought. "They're even softer than I thought. I think your ears are very cute."
Several emotions flashed on Liu Bai's face. First, he appeared almost delighted – then, it was followed by him abashedly averting his gaze – and lastly, he lightly swatted her hands away and looked at her with a determined frown.
"I am most certainly not cute," the swordsman retorted. "I have slaughtered thousands of men with my blade, and I have trained in martial arts for hundreds of years. I have many impressive titles, but cute is not one of them."
Vanna, seemingly undeterred by his sour attitude, just shook her head. "I'm sure you're very impressive, Mr. Liu Bai, but that doesn't change the fact that your ears are adorable."
Her words even roused an amused scoff from Shizuka, who had been watching their interaction from the corner of her eye. "Not so tough now, are you, catboy?"
When Liu Bai heard her scoff, he immediately became even more frustrated. Despite how distressed he appeared, he couldn't seem to find the words to refute her statement. He had been completely and utterly dumbfounded by Vanna's well-intended observation.
Unfortunately, as all good things do, their banter was cut short by a venomous growl coming from beside them. Quynh, having somehow grown even more irate, cleared his throat to interrupt them. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at his three companions.
"If you all are done being children, we are preparing to land," the man spat. He adjusted his tie as though he were too warm, and heaved a loud exhale. "We have a lot to do in only a day. I hope none of you let me down."
"...Why exactly are we here?" Vanna asked, her voice quiet and uncertain. "No one got the chance to tell me. Is there a reason that such a large corporation needs to investigate such an issue? It mostly affects the crime organizations, right?"
Shizuka put her face into her hands, as if she were completely disappointed by the question.
"Vanna." Liu Bai looked askance at her and sighed. "Are you under the impression that 'Golden Enterprise' is a completely clean company?"
Vanna blinked a few times, clearly not understanding the implication of his words. "Why wouldn't it be...?"
"The Dragon's Syndicate, Vanna," Shizuka added.
"Wh- you mean that Quynh is not only a CEO, but the boss of the infamous Dragon's Syndicate as well?" Vanna's head was spinning. "Is the company just a front for the mafia? You've got to be joking."
"We jest not," Liu Bai answered, closing his eyes once more. "It is true. We act as both a normal corporation, and a… 'mafia' of sorts, as well."