Operation Spill Out

Li Nuxie's hands squeezed into fists as she walked out of Li Headquarters. Her expression hardened at the thought that her grandma will really do what she just said. Outside, the sun's rays were glaring so much that it hurt her eyes despite wearing transition eyeglasses.

Massaging her temples, she strode across the open parking lot, oblivious to the heat. As she opened the door of her car, the voice of Li Chao reached her ears.

"Sis, race you to the same place!" The Dodge Viper GTS zoomed out of the premises.

Li Nuxie's mouth twitched while watching the car vanished from her line of sight. She shook her head. Race? Fat chance. She doesn't want to spend the weekend in jail for over speeding.

As she sat on the driver's seat, she leaned her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes. Why is it that since Li Chanying showed up in Town G a month ago, all she experienced were headaches? Did she have a birthmark on her bum or something? Sighing, she straightened her back and started the engine.

Dao Ze was wringing his hands while standing not far from the Old Madam. He did not expect that the visit of the Li siblings would escalate to the point that the Old Madam had to take her medicine to stabilize her condition. It was the first time that he saw the Old Madam lost her composure.

The Old Madam was currently leaning on her back on the sofa, her chest heaving. He was at the control room so he was privy to what happened inside the CEO's office. Until now, he cannot believe that the Old Madam has said such thing.

"Dao Ze, send a notice to the board of directors. Tell them that I will convene an emergency meeting next Monday."

Dao Ze opened his mouth to speak but no word came out. Will the Old Madam really do it?

Li Jiayie turned her head towards Dao Ze and glared at him. "Did you not hear me?"

His body went stiff under the glare. "I did, Old Madam. I will do as you please," bowing down, he left the room in stride.

In one of the private rooms at Chang Condominium, Hong Chi sipped her orange juice slowly. Li Chanying was leaning against the railings installed near the glass wall, staring outside. Li Chao has called a while ago, telling them to go to their usual hangout place. Without providing much details, he hanged up immediately, leaving her and Hong Chi puzzled.

"What do you think happened?" Hong Chi broke the quiet atmosphere.

Li Chanying stood up straight and squared her shoulders. "Nothing that we cannot handle, I guess?"

Hong Chi chuckled and did not speak. When it comes to Li Chao, they are threading on a thin ice that can break any moment. She just hoped Li Nuxie have a spare rope to pull them out of the cold water. Every time Li Chao called them and met at Chang Condominium, trouble was brewing or trouble was already on their heels.

Both women turned their heads to the door when Li Chao burst into the room. He was panting, with sweat visible on his forehead.

"Ha, I won," he said as he dragged his feet to the sofa. Slumping down, he wiped the sweat in his forehead with a handkerchief as he was catching up his breath.

Li Chanying went to Hong Chi's side and sat on the arm rest. "Did my cousin really race with you? Coz as far as I know, you haven't won a single race out of eighty-six races you've done in the past," she said as she curled her lips knowingly.

Li Chao crossed his arms. "I am your cousin too. Why do you always side with Xiexie?"

"Her thigh is bigger," Hong Chi cut in.

"Exactly my point," Li Chanying agreed with Hong Chi.

"I'm the next CEO of Li Textile. Of course, my thigh is bigger," Li Chao argued. He raised his feet at the edge of the center table and leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"Don't be so sure about that, Chao-ge," Li Nuxie said. The three people inside the room were too focused on the topic that they did not hear Li Nuxie swiped the key card and entered the room.

Contrary to his brother who arrived sweating in a black business suit, Li Nuxie arrived in poise. Her black hair was tucked behind her ears. The black-rimmed eyeglasses has added to the strictness of her demeanor but the red lips made her alluring.

Hong Chi gasped when she saw the dress Li Nuxie was wearing. "Omg, Xiexie, is that your design?" she stood up and drew nearer to Li Nuxie, her gaze was fixed on the dress.

Li Chanying also stood up. She saw the design way back in Town G but it looked better in its physical form.

"Yes," she occupied the seat vacated by Hong Chi and reached for a glass of juice. "I'm surprised the CEO of Hong Department Stores is skipping work on a Friday morning."

"I'm the CEO. Of course, I can skip work. It's not as if the company will go bankrupt if I do it," she retorted with a slightly tucked chin.

Li Nuxie did not reply. Instead, she directed her gaze to her brother who was currently acting like a king without realizing that he might lose his future kingdom any day from now. "Care to explain your behavior a while ago, Chao-ge?"

Li Chao winced when his sister's voice reached his ears. He thought he was able to escape the sleeping volcano's wrath. Turned out, it was just a wishful thinking. He opened his eyes and stared at his sister.

Meanwhile, the two women discreetly scampered away from the vicinity, afraid to be caught in crossfire. Traitors, he screamed internally.

He cleared his throat. "I barely did anything, sis."

"Can I just prick your inflatable ego with a needle? It would really be satisfying," Li Nuxie said, her mouth curved into a smile. For her, it was her normal smile. For the three others in the room though, it was a smile that denoted danger.

Li Chao removed his hands behind his head. Extending his left hand on the side, he slowly reached for a throw pillow. A shield in case the sleeping volcano erupted without a memo. No pun intended.

Li Nuxie followed her brother's hand. Her lips formed a thin line as she squinted her eyes. "That throw pillow is a shoe-in for the first casualty."

Hand stopped at mid-air, Li Chao sighed deeply before withdrawing his hand. His expression turned serious. "Okay, I'm sorry, sis. I know I am a disappointment. I am trying to make up for it. But you saw how grandma behaved. She was clearly provoking me."

"That's your fault. You should have known better than to bite the bullet," Li Nuxie turned her face away. "Grandma is right. You're almost 33 and yet, you still let your emotions control you."

"So, you want me to be like CEO Li?" Li Chao's voice went a notch higher. The three women flinched. It was the first time Li Chao raised his voice. And it was directed towards his sister.

"I didn't say that," Li Nuxie lowered her head. Where would she place herself? She wanted to protect her grandmother's legacy but she also wanted her brother to do whatever makes him happy. This was the second time she wanted both. The first time was during her train ride to the City S. Remembering what happened, the blood rushed towards her face. She shook her head, hoping to erase the incident from her mind.

Li Chao had mistakenly thought that he made his sister cry. "Sis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice," he went to her side and gently grasped her hands.

Hong Chi and Li Chanying were also wide-eyed. But for a different reason. However, they chose to remain silent. They eyed Li Nuxie suspiciously. She was definitely hiding something from them.

Li Nuxie shook her head, completely unaware that the two women who remained standing not far from them were already devising plans on how to make her spill out her secret.

"I am not crying. It was just –" she paused, thinking of a good reason. "It was just hot," she flicked her fingers in the air. "Yes, that's it. It was hot, yeah," she muttered.

Li Chao wrinkled his eyebrows. Hot? It was certainly hot outside but the ventilation of Chang Condominium was one of the best in City S. It rivaled the Octagon Hotel. How come it's hot? "Are you sick or something?" he asked, touching her forehead with his palm.

Hong Chi pressed her lips to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Hot, my foot. The air conditioner was already at 15 degrees Celsius and it was still hot? She pinched her arm hard. The pain instantly made her forget the urge to roll on the floor.

Meanwhile, Li Chanying rolled her eyes. She knew Li Nuxie can lie without batting an eyelid. What happened to her that even her lie cannot pass as a child's lie? She rubbed her hands as she listed mentally the possible things that Li Nuxie were hiding from them.

Two pairs of eyes met. Both were gleaming with excitement. Time for the Operation Spill Out to commence.