Check out my new fanfic: Jujutsu Kaisen: What is Life?
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Our favorate Chinese is back!!
They are talking in Chinese.
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China. Shanghai. Celestial Axis Headquarters:
The office of Jian Li sat at the very top of the Celestial Tower. On a normal day, the room would be full of energy. Phone calls in three languages. Holographic displays showing stock prices. The faint sound of Jian monologuing about his own brilliance to whoever was unfortunate enough to be in earshot.
Today, however, the room was silent.
Jian Li was slumped deep in his chair.
Not the elegant, calculated lean of a CEO surveying his empire. Nope. This was a man whose soul had left his body somewhere around the forty-seventh quarterly earnings report.
His tie was loose. His hair, usually perfect, was in a mess. His sunglasses were sitting crooked on his face because he couldn't be bothered to fix them.
He stared at the ceiling for a while. Then, with a sigh that carried the weight of every spreadsheet he had reviewed that month, he reached for the last file on his desk.
He picked it up. Gave it a quick read. Signed it.
He placed the pen down.
He sat there for a moment, staring at the empty desk. No more files. No more meetings. No more calls. The day was technically over.
The silence should have been peaceful.
Spoiler, it was not.
BANG!
Jian slammed his forehead onto the desk.
"I AM SO FUCKING BORED!!!"
The sound echoed through the office.
Two seconds later.
"SHIT SHIT SHIT, THAT HURTS!!"
He grabbed his forehead with both hands, rocking back in his chair.
"I am so fucking stupid! Why did I do that?! The desk is made out of marble! FUCKING MARBLE!"
He pressed his palms against the growing red mark on his forehead.
Just then, the office door opened.
Jian looked up, eyes watering.
A woman walking in.
She had long dark hair that fell off her shoulders in soft waves. She had a bright smile, cheeks flushed with a natural warmth that made her entire face glow. She was carrying a small bundle of fresh flowers cradled in her arms.
She looked at Jian, clutching his forehead. Then at the red mark on his head.
She gave him a soft smile.
"You finally burned yourself out."
Jian's eyes widened. The pain in his forehead vanished, replaced by the immediate, instinctive response of a man who had just seen one of his favorite people in the world.
He opened his arms wide and started crying.
"Sniff sniff... Xiaoqing!!! Help me!!!"
Xiaoqing's PIC(COMMENT)
His voice cracked. Actual tears were forming. Not from the pain — from the relief of seeing someone who wasn't a spreadsheet or a legal document.
She walked to his desk, picked up the old vase of flowers sitting in the corner, and replaced them with the fresh ones. She adjusted the stems, making sure the lilies faced the window where they'd get light.
Then she walked around the desk and hugged him.
Jian buried his face into her shoulder.
"I AM SO BORED, XIAOQING! HELP ME! I HAVE BEEN SIGNING PAPERS FOR FOURTEEN HOURS! I CAN'T FEEL MY HAND! MY BRAIN IS GONE! I THINK I FORGOT HOW TO READ MANDARIN!"
Xiaoqing giggled.
"Shhh," she soothed, rubbing his back. "I know, I know."
She pulled back slightly and looked at his forehead. The red mark was swelling.
She held up her hand.
A soft glow flashed across her palm. A simple white bandage materialized in her fingers. That was her quirk: First Aid. The ability to create basic medical supplies from her stamina. Bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, splints.
It was the most Xiaoqing-like quirk imaginable.
She gently pushed his head back, tilting his chin up. She peeled the adhesive and pressed the bandage across the red mark on his forehead.
Then she leaned down and kissed it.
"There," she said. "All better."
Jian sniffled. "You are the only good thing in this building."
"I know," Xiaoqing agreed pleasantly.
He pulled back from the hug and crossed his arms, pouting. "It's not my fault I'm like this. You all spoiled me."
Xiaoqing giggled again and reached out, pinching both of his cheeks between her fingers.
"If I don't spoil you and my sisters," she said, squishing his face, "then who am I supposed to spoil? That's my job."
"Ow ow ow," Jian whined, though he made no effort to escape. "You're stretching my perfect face. I need this face. It's the face of this dynasty."
"It's the face of a baby," Xiaoqing corrected, releasing him. "A very strong, very dramatic baby."
She straightened his tie. Fixed his hair. Adjusted his sunglasses so they sat properly on his nose. The same routine she did every time she visited his office. The same maintenance she performed for everyone in the family without anyone asking.
That was Xiaoqing. The woman who had been fired from a hospital for treating villains. The woman who took care of five broken people and turned them into a family. The unofficial mother of the Li household.
Mei Lin was the shield. Li Yu was the brain. The twins were the engine. But Xiaoqing was the heart.
Without her, they all would have fallen apart a long time ago.
Jian looked at her. Thinking about how important she was to their family.
"I love you," he said.
Xiaoqing's cheeks flushed slightly. Even after all these years, it still caught her off guard when he said it so plainly.
"I love you too," she said. "Now sit up straight. You have a visitor."
"A what?"
The office door opened again.
A woman walked in.
She was the opposite of Xiaoqing in almost every way. Where Xiaoqing was soft, this woman was sharp. Where Xiaoqing was warm, this woman was precise.
Her hair was a light blonde, pulled neatly into a high bun, with a few soft strands framing her face. She wore a tailored black suit that fit her slim frame perfectly, and she held a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other.
Li Yu. The woman who ran the financial part of Jian's empire.
Li Yu's PIC(COMMENT)
Jian's eyes widened.
He dived behind Xiaoqing, grabbing her shoulders and using her as a human shield.
"NO!" he yelled. "I am done for today!! Stay away from me!"
Xiaoqing giggled. "Hey, Yu. How are you?"
Yu Yan nodded at Xiaoqing. "Great."
Then she looked at Jian, who was peeking over Xiaoqing's shoulder like a child hiding behind his mother's leg.
"Jian."
"NO!!" he yelled.
"Lis-"
"I said no! I am not working! I refuse! My hand is broken! My spirit is dead! I have signed my name so many times today that I forgot what it looks like!"
Xiaoqing patted his hand. "At least let her talk, honey."
Jian huffed. He crossed his arms but stayed behind Xiaoqing.
"Fine."
Yu Yan sighed. She was used to this. Every few months, Jian burned out and turned into this. A dramatic child who hid behind whichever wife was closest and refused to look at the paperwork.
"For the past few months," Yu Yan said, "you've been crying about wanting to go to Japan."
Jian froze.
His head slowly rose above Xiaoqing's shoulder. His eyes were wide.
"Can I really?"
Yu Yan looked at him and smiled a bit.
He is such a child when he's burned out.
"You do know," Yu Yan continued, keeping her voice professional, "that I go to Japan every year to recruit and scout heroes for our hero agency."
Jian blinked. "We have a hero agency?"
"Jian."
He held his hands up. "Joking, joking! I know we have a hero agency! I signed the papers! I think.... Xiaoqing, do we have a hero agency?"
"Yes, honey."
"See? I knew that."
Yu Yan continued, ignoring his tantrums.
"As I was saying, during this time, most of the hero schools in Japan hold their Sports Festivals within the same few weeks. It's the biggest scouting event of the year. Every agency sends representatives. It fits perfectly in our schedule too, as the Chinese hero schools start the sports festival at least a month or two later."
Jian nodded slowly. "I'm listening."
"One of the most important schools is U.A. They always have the best candidates. The strongest students. The most promising future heroes."
"And?"
Yu Yan allowed herself the smallest smile. It barely moved her lips, but her eyes softened.
"Well, it just so happens that your so-called 'elder sister,' Honoka Shuzenji's son, goes to that school. So, if you want to come with me this year, you can meet her and tour around Japa-"
She didn't finish.
Jian was already moving.
He launched himself from behind Xiaoqing, crossed the distance in two steps, and grabbed Yu Yan in a hug so tight it lifted her off the ground.
"I LOVE YOU, HONEY!!!"
He kissed her on the cheek. Then the other cheek. Then her forehead. Then he dropped her, spun around, and sprinted for the door.
"PACK MY BAGS! TELL MEI TO FUEL THE JET! TELL THE TWINS TO MAKE ME A NEW SUIT! I NEED TO LOOK PERFECT! I HAVEN'T SEEN HONOKA IN A LONG WHILE! SHE'S GOING TO BE SO SURPRISED! I NEED MY PRANK KIT READY! ALONG WITH SOME PRANK GIFTS?! XIAOQING, WHERE ARE THE GIFTS?!"
His voice echoed down the hallway, getting fainter as he ran.
Then he was gone.
The office fell silent.
Yu stood in the middle of the room, her suit slightly wrinkled from the hug and her hair mildly displaced from the kiss assault. She smoothed her jacket. She fixed the strand of hair that had come loose.
Then she smiled, looking at where Jian ran affectionately.
Xiaoqing walked up beside her.
"That was very thoughtful of you, Yu."
Yu Yan shrugged, but the smile didn't leave. "He could use some time off. He's been running on fumes for weeks. Plus, he's been crying about wanting to see Honoka. I figured I'd give him a reason to go that didn't sound like a vacation."
She looked at the door where Jian had just sprinted out.
"I still find it strange," Yu said. "That he started looking up to her, of all people. She's his business rival. She's threatened to break his legs more times than I can count. And yet he talks about her like she is his elder sister."
Xiaoqing laughed at that.
"We would never understand how his brain works," Xiaoqing said. "He hated her for two years. Sent her glitter bombs. Filed lawsuits over logo colours. And then one day he comes home and says, 'She is my elder sister now,' and we're all supposed to accept that."
"We did accept it," Yu pointed out.
"Not our fault, he started to see her as a sister figure."
Yu Yan looked at her. Then, towards the flowers she had just placed on Jian's desk.
"You're gonna spoil him," Yu said.
Xiaoqing smiled. "Someone has to."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, looking out through the glass walls at the Shanghai skyline.
Somewhere in the building, they could hear Jian yelling at someone about tuna.
"Should we start packing?" Yu Yan asked.
Xiaoqing nodded. "I'll call Mei. She'll want to come."
"The twins too. Na's been complaining about needing new circuit boards. Japanese components are better."
"And Wei will want to see Nia."
Yu Yan sighed. "Wei will try to kidnap Nia again."
"Probably."
They looked at each other and started laughing.
Xiaoqing looped her arm through Yu as they walked toward the door.
"Japan it is, then."
"Japan, it is."
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Guess our MC has a new ally👀👀👀
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