Chapter 23 "You still have a fiancé in Konoha..."

As far as you know, most Uchiha people have awkward personalities. This is based on your experience with Uchiha people. Since Obito Uchiha was also an Uchiha, he naturally couldn't escape the characteristics of this clan and was occasionally awkward. You originally just wanted to use his abilities.

You didn't hide anything and told him your true purpose very frankly. You pointed to his scarlet Sharingan and said, "I want your abilities."

“You will pay the price for this,” he said.

Of course, he should be the one who ultimately pays the price.

Ever since you two had your conversation, he's become even more brazen in coming to your study, showing up without a word. Sometimes he'll say a few words to you, but most of the time he just stares at you quietly.

Since he won't affect your work anyway, you basically ignore him and at most give him a perfunctory response when he speaks.

Obito Uchiha was dissatisfied with this. He himself did not understand why he was dissatisfied. He had approached you because he wanted to use you, and even thought about killing you at the beginning. Why would he feel resentful because of your indifference?

The unanswered question frustrated him even more. One night, as a light drizzle fell outside, you caught a faint sound coming from the air behind you. It was the sound of Obito Uchiha suddenly appearing. You were already used to it and didn't even turn around. You simply asked, "Would you like something to drink? Sake or wine?"

He walked silently to you, meeting your gaze across the desk. He seemed preoccupied. You looked up, resting your chin on your hand, and asked, "What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

He helped you with the transportation of a batch of goods a while ago, and you haven't had a chance to thank him yet. It's strange that he doesn't want the money you offer. When you ask him what kind of reward he wants, he can't answer. Or maybe he already has the answer in his heart, but just doesn't know how to tell you right now.

You stand up and walk to the wine cabinet in the corner of the study. You don't usually drink much, but you might have a glass or two occasionally. The winemaking technology in this world is not as good as in your previous life, but with money you can always get good quality wine.

First, he took out two wine glasses, and then took out a bottle of red wine from another shelf in another cabinet.

The dark red wine slid into a clear stemmed glass. You handed him one, and he took a sip. You asked, "I haven't paid you for the favor I did last time. What do you want?"

"You can have whatever you want?" He took a sip of wine and didn't touch it again, apparently he didn't like red wine.

"Hmm... Although this sounds like boasting, I can indeed fulfill most of your wishes." Money can buy you this kind of capriciousness.

He's appeared again, staring at you with those unfathomable eyes, making it impossible to guess what he's thinking. Could it be that he wants to kill you? Ah... that's a bit troublesome. Although you always say you hate this world and want to start over, saying it and actually being killed are two completely different things.

You still value your life.

Just as you were contemplating whether to press the alarm button, he finally spoke, saying, "Did you use this method to lure them into becoming your slaves before?"

You didn't hear him clearly, so you moved closer to him, leaning down slightly. A few strands of your long hair brushed against his cheek, like a subtle provocation. You said, "What?"

He seemed to hold his breath, pursed his lips, and looked away. He had seen you kiss others before, witnessed you kiss that boy named Bai. A light kiss was enough to make the other person blush. You seem to be very good at this, very good at manipulating people's hearts and playing with other people's feelings.

“They all obey you without question, and you used these methods to make them do what you wanted…” As he spoke, his voice grew weaker because you were looking down at him with a half-smile, as if you could see right through him. You said, “I understand.”

What did you understand? He wanted to say something more, but the next second your wine-scented kiss landed on his lips, and you freed one hand to tuck your long hair behind your ear.

The man you kissed suddenly bit you as if in a state of stress. Although there was no bleeding, you were still a little annoyed.

"Hey." You turned around, put down your glass, then turned back to him and asked, "Haven't you ever been kissed before? Why are you reacting so strongly?"

You touch your lips with your finger, making sure there's no blood, just a mark. You reach out and pinch his chin, as if in revenge.

He said, "You can bite back."

It's like you're retaliating in kind. You say, "I'm not like you."

"Is that so? Then what's the difference between us?" Obito Uchiha asked in return. Strangely enough, he didn't seem annoyed that you were pinching his chin like that; in fact, he even seemed to have a hint of anticipation.

What is he expecting? He has to admit, he might be expecting your revenge, your next kiss.

You scoffed, "At least I won't pretend I want to be kissed. What good would that do you? If you want, you can just tell me."

But before Obito could say those words, your kiss came first, catching him completely off guard.

It turns out he can understand human speech; at least he didn't bite anyone this time, and he was quite well-behaved.

The soft couch in the study was a bit cramped for two people, and you still had to teach him a lot of things, such as to be gentle and not to run around like a dog.

When he won't listen to reason, you can only slap him to bring him to his senses a little. Sigh, you feel like you're training a dog, and a large dog at that, with no sense of service.

You think Obito Uchiha does look a lot like a large dog, especially his two canine teeth, which seem a bit sharp to you.

As it traced across soft skin, he could never retract his canine teeth.

His comprehension is too poor; he's nowhere near as good as Itachi.

The other party is capable of fulfilling their service obligations with their soft lips and tongue without any instruction.

Instead of what he did, you couldn't help but yell, "Are you an idiot?"

He groaned, raised his head, and his nose was glistening with water droplets. You pinched his cheek and said, "Don't use your teeth."

"It's one thing if you can't speak normally, but now even your tongue can't function?"

He slowly licked the water droplets from his lips, as if in response.

He lowered his head again and crouched down.

After several corrections, he finally learned how to serve you.

This is truly something to celebrate.

The only downside was that the rug next to the lounge chair, which you really liked, suffered an unexpected disaster that night because it was so close to the lounge chair; the fluffy plush surface was soaked and clumped together.

You walk barefoot on the carpet, which is still warm and damp, wetting your feet.

"This is so annoying! This is my favorite rug!" you yell at Obito Uchiha. He replies, "You're the one who got it wet. Never mind, I'll take care of it."

The result was that the next day you woke up late in the morning, and when you passed by the laundry room, you found him sitting on a small stool washing the carpet. You pulled your cardigan together, crossed your arms, and said, "You can wash carpets too?"

Obito Uchiha didn't turn around; he could guess what kind of expression you were having. He said, "Yeah, is it something that's so difficult?"

You walk up to him with a smile and pat him on the head.

It's happening again. Do you really treat him like a pet? He said, "How long are you going to stay here?" Are you planning to keep staring at him like this?

"Let's have breakfast together after you've finished washing up, otherwise it'll be no fun eating breakfast alone."

He paused in washing the carpet, making it sound as if you were waiting for him. But how could you possibly eat breakfast alone? That boy named Bai would definitely be with you. You're making it sound like you're being pitiful, but he won't be fooled by you again.

He wanted to tell you that you didn't need to wait for him, but he was worried that if he really said that, you might leave without hesitation. So in the end, he didn't say it. After you helped him wash the carpet, he put down his rolled-up sleeves and said, seemingly impatiently, "Don't do it in the study next time."

"Really? You've already thought about next time? I thought this was just an accident." You don't seem to mind having another lover. Even Obito Uchiha is a typical Uchiha. The Uchiha you're referring to is someone who's very petty about relationships and easily gets jealous.

Obito Uchiha was still being stubborn, saying, "No, I was just... saying it offhand."

You said "Oh," and took his hand as you walked to the restaurant. Bai had already prepared breakfast. You had told him yesterday that you wanted to have porridge this morning, so today's breakfast was seafood porridge and a few refreshing side dishes.

The seafood congee was cooked just right, the rice was soft and tender, and the seafood was incredibly fresh. After you had almost finished eating, Bai asked, "Does the study need to be cleaned again?"

Those words were a veiled way of telling the Uchiha present that he knew what had happened last night. You took a sip of water and nodded, "Sure, just be careful not to mess up my bookshelves."

Very casually, you put Bai in charge of cleaning the study.

Because you got up late today, the work that should have been finished in the morning was dragged out until the afternoon. You took the documents to the glass greenhouse, sat by the floor-to-ceiling window to read them, and didn't even need to turn on the lights, as the greenhouse has excellent natural light.

Bai came by again and asked if you wanted afternoon tea snacks. You said anything was fine. Not long after, he brought out cookies and small cakes. You pushed the cake to Obito and said, "Don't you like sweets?"

Obito is holding a fork. Even though this happened last night, you seem to be acting as if nothing's wrong. Won't this affect how you two get along?

What does he mean to you now?

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So what exactly is our relationship now?"

You chuckled twice, "Why would you ask that?" You never expected him to ask such a question. You thought only protagonists in cliché novels would ask that kind of question, and your first reaction was that he was joking with you.

Unlike your carefree attitude, Obito Uchiha appeared much more serious. He looked into your eyes and said, "You haven't answered my question yet."

"A lover, a partner based on needs, or a regular friend—choose one." You offered him many options, but none seemed to satisfy him. You stared at him for a while, wondering if he was going to try the pure love route with you. You widened your eyes slightly in surprise. "There's no such thing as pure love between us. I'm telling you this beforehand."

With a blank expression, Obito Uchiha used a fork to pierce the strawberry that was garnishing the sliced ​​cake. The strawberry, which was already candied, became even softer. As soon as the fork pierced it, pale pink strawberry juice flowed out, and you could smell the sweet strawberry scent wafting from his direction.

"No matter how angry you are, you shouldn't take it out on food," you said.

Obito Uchiha picked up the tattered strawberry with a fork, took a bite, and chewed the sweet, fragrant flesh in his mouth. He suddenly said, "Lover, this is our relationship."

See? In the end, he still made his choice, didn't he? You said "Oh" twice, nodded, and said, "Yes, so it's a lover."

Having a lover has its advantages, such as being able to do free work for you. That's why people say love is a good thing. Throughout history, there have been countless men who used love as bait to take advantage of women and make them do free work for them. You're just following suit.

Although your relationship with Obito Uchiha has only just become lovers, you're already thinking about what else he can do for you in the next second. It seems that you won't need to mention anything about payment for what he does for you in the future.

He was clearly unaware that he had fallen into a trap of exploitation by capitalists, and quietly ate his cake with his head down.

He doesn't stay with you all the time; he'll stay for a few days and then disappear for a while. That's good, so he doesn't get jealous when he's around, which would cause you distress. I wonder when he'll learn to be considerate of you.

After Obito Uchiha left, Haku came to the flower room to arrange the afternoon tea dishes and teapot. He then asked, "Mingxi, do you need a massage tonight?"

"Not for now, I slept very well last night."

Bai tightened his grip on the tray, but maintained his smile. "Really? I thought he didn't know how to serve you."

"Indeed, he didn't know at first, and I had to teach him slowly." You sighed as you said this. It's all because you had only encountered smart students like Itachi at the beginning, so you didn't have much patience to teach others. "Although his comprehension is not very good, he is generally obedient."

"Mingxi...why do you like him?" Bai wondered. He hadn't even had the honor of serving you yet, so why was this ill-mannered guy who suddenly appeared so popular with you? Was there something wrong with him that he wasn't good enough?

"I wouldn't say I like him, but I think his abilities are very useful, and he's perfect for transporting goods." You rest your chin on your hand, and you're much more relaxed chatting with Haku. You can tell from your lazy sitting posture that you've already thought about what kind of mission you'll give Obito Uchiha.

Bai said, "I see... I'm sorry, I can't help you."

“Bai has already helped me a lot.” You beckoned to him to come over, and the two of you squeezed into a hanging chair. Bai always had a faint fragrance about him, not the scent of leftover shower gel, but more like his own natural scent. You leaned closer and rested your head on the crook of his neck. “Bai smells so nice.”

"So, Mingxi, do you like it?"

"Of course I like it."

Bai held your hand, palm to palm, and saw your shadows overlapping in the sunlight. He wished time could slow down, just a little bit more.

When it was time for dinner, Bai went to the kitchen to prepare dinner as usual. You also went to the kitchen, but you were just there to join in and didn't really help much. Bai even had to spare some attention for you.

The fried food, fresh out of the fryer, was still sizzling with golden oil droplets. You wanted to try a piece, but Bai reminded you, "Wait, it's still too hot."

How much longer do we have to wait?

"Wait a moment." As he spoke, he conjured several blocks of ice in his palm, directly cooling the explosives with physical force. Ice Release was really useful.

The cooling time was just right; although the fried food cooled down, the outer layer remained crispy.

You are happily eating fried mushrooms and fried shrimp.

Bai said, "You seem to be a little weak lately, so you shouldn't eat too much oily food. But it's okay, I've made some medicinal cuisine."

The medicinal cuisine made by Bai doesn't have a strong herbal taste. Every dish is delicious. After dinner, you'll go for a walk. Semi-retirement life is so simple, unpretentious, plain, and warm.

Of course, you haven't forgotten that you're positioned as a big capitalist. As your business empire expands, many people see you as a thorn in their side, and assassination attempts have become commonplace for you.

But it doesn't matter, your Bai will take care of those assassins for you, and you have more than one bodyguard by your side, so you can sleep soundly.

This is what it means to be carefree and worry-free.

*

Later, Obito came to see you more and more often, and eventually he simply stayed overnight at your villa. At first, Haku was wary of this uninvited guest, but when he saw the silhouette of him combing your hair, he realized that the other party did not seem to be harmful to you. But even so, he did not have much affection for this strange Uchiha.

He still really disliked the other person.

As for you, you're just casually having a heart-to-heart talk with Obito. His views on the world are somewhat similar to yours, and you also think the world is rotten to the core, but you wouldn't want to turn the whole world into the set of that so-called Black Empire like he does.

Although the world is terrible, you can still barely make ends meet; that's pretty much your current situation.

Obito believes you are running away from reality. He said, "You don't even have the courage to face reality."

As he finished speaking, your fingers ran through his hair, and you grabbed it in annoyance. His cheeks and shoulders still bore your perfectly symmetrical, healthy-looking teeth marks.

"Are you sure you want to say something like that at a time like this? I might really kick you to the floor." Although you used a joking tone, you weren't joking with him; you meant what you said.

He pursed his lips, and you might think he'd finally learned his lesson and was going to skip the topic, but actually he hadn't. The next second he asked, "So how do you see the world?"

You pinched his cheek. "You'd better shut up now."

This is probably the downside of getting too close to Obito Uchiha. He can let his mind wander anytime, anywhere, and he's always thinking about things that are full of bitterness and hatred. It's not that you ignore other people's suffering, but you feel that no matter how bad the world is, there's always a way to survive.

Obito Uchiha was the kind of person who could get so fixated on a single point that he would eventually break through the wall.

I'm starting to regret letting this guy be your bed partner.

You prop yourself up on the edge of the bed and start thinking about how likely it is to successfully kick him to the curb after you've used up all his value. You've already abandoned one Uchiha, so abandoning another doesn't seem too difficult.

Practice makes perfect, and this is no exception.

With a rustling sound, Obito Uchiha moved closer. His body temperature was slightly higher than yours, like a human furnace pressed against you. You said, "Stay away from me."

Are you angry?

No, not at all.

"Want to take a shower?"

You've thought about tomorrow's plans. You've been resting in the Land of Waves for a while now. Your base of operations is located there. You came here partly to avoid the limelight and Itachi Uchiha's search, and partly to relax and unwind. Now that the storm has passed and you've enjoyed your vacation enough, it's time for you to return to your duties.

That is, you become a ruthless capitalist. Given that you are involved in more and more industries and your influence in each industry is increasing, you are now receiving invitations to regional business summits. It's not good to keep ignoring them, and you should also take a look at what your other competitors are planning.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." This principle also applies to business.

Therefore, you say to Obito Uchiha next to you, "It's just taking a bath."

He understood your subtext and asked again, "Do you need a hair wash?"

"That's fine too." Since he's the one serving you anyway, you nodded.

Obito Uchiha wasn't very good at serving others at first, and you taught him little by little. Now that you think about it, it really wasn't easy, so you feel even more at ease enjoying his service.

Leaning back in the bathtub, you tilt your head back and look at the light-colored ceiling of the bathroom. The scent of green apple shampoo becomes even stronger after being lathered. As you apply the shampoo foam to your wet hair, Obito says again, "Didn't you refuse their invitation?"

"You've been rummaging through my desk again?"

"No, I was rummaging through the trash can." He's playing word games with you even now, but his behavior of rummaging through the trash can is just as bad as a disobedient dog.

As he lathers your forehead, you close your eyes to avoid getting shampoo in them, and you say, "Are you a dog?"

"Are you even human?" he asks you in return.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

His fingers traced your eyelids. "Sometimes you really aren't human," he said, especially when trying to persuade or manipulate others.

You took his words as a compliment, and you smiled, your eyelashes trembling slightly. His fingertips brushed against your eyelashes, the touch tickling, but he didn't dislike it.

Turn on the showerhead to rinse the shampoo foam from your hair. The warm water flow over your ears, giving you the feeling of floating on the surface of a summer ocean.

“You should know that a lot of people want you dead, right?” He pulled a soft towel from the bathroom cabinet and placed it over your head, gently wiping away the water droplets. You said, “Is that so? Well, I can’t just hide here like a coward because others are eyeing me, can I? I have to go and see who exactly wants me dead.”

Moreover, seeing your competitors grit their teeth in hatred for you gives you a sense of accomplishment; perhaps that's just your twisted sense of humor.

Obito Uchiha knew he couldn't dissuade you by saying that. And that's right, given your personality, you wouldn't hide away. This made his earlier accusations of you escaping reality seem more like he was talking about himself.

And you weren't angry at all. Obito dried your hair until it was half dry and then said, "What you just said..."

"What? I can't remember anymore. Okay, come and dry my hair." You directed him to take out the hairdryer and dry your hair. The warm air from the hairdryer made your ear tips turn red. He pinched your ear tip as if by some strange impulse. Because the movement was so slight, you didn't seem to notice it.

After blow-drying your hair, you yawned. You've developed a regular sleep schedule lately, going to bed at 10 p.m. every night. Your sleep schedule is incredibly healthy.

You crawl into bed, turn your back to Obito, and say to him, "You can leave now, don't disturb my rest."

What kind of attitude is this? You're just using him and then throwing him away, huh? He served you for so long just now, and he made a rebellious decision: he disobeyed your orders and didn't leave. Instead, he came over to you along the edge of the bed after washing up.

The mattress sank under his weight, and you, already asleep, slid toward him, his arm resting on your side.

Turn off the bedside lamp, and after a while your voice comes out. You say, "Uchiha Obito, you're such a disobedient dog."

Are you going to kick me off the plane?

Come on, even if you kick him out, he'll come back stronger. You're a magnanimous person, so don't hold it against him. Just say, "I'll do it next time."

Then he laughed.

*

Your schedule is very full from now on; you'll basically be either rushing to an event or on your way to one. Luckily, Bai is here to give you a massage and help you relax.

"Why didn't your Uchiha lover come with you this time?" Zabuza, who was responsible for accompanying you to various business meetings, asked sarcastically.

You've just finished a conference about the energy industry. Sigh, having too many old men at a conference is such a hassle. As soon as they see you're a woman, they all feel they have the right to lecture you, but you shut them all down one by one. That's right, you're the kind of person who settles scores on the spot and vents your anger on the spot.

After a long day, you ask Haku to massage your shoulders, but Zabuza has to come up with some nonsense. You don't even lift your eyelids and say, "Which Uchiha are you talking about? I have more than one Uchiha lover."

Zabuza knew immediately that you were saying that on purpose, and he snorted coldly, "You know who I'm talking about."

"...He's doing other tasks for me." Sometimes you can't tell if Zabuza is provoking you or just disliking the Uchiha.

What did the Uchiha do to him? How could he hold a grudge like this for so long?

He said, "You actually let him complete the task for you."

"What's there to be reluctant about?" After all, a lover is just a more useful tool to you. Maybe it's because you're bound to the capitalist system that your way of thinking is now more inclined to be like a black-hearted capitalist. But you don't think you've said anything wrong. Isn't this the principle of making the best use of resources?

Bai rubbed your shoulders and then reminded you, "Mingxi, you need to go to bed early tonight. The muscles in your shoulders and neck are very stiff. You must have been tired these past few days."

Look, Haku is much more talkative now, unlike Zabuza who gets angry as soon as he opens his mouth. If you weren't so good-tempered, he would have been fired countless times by now.

"It's rare to hear you say that." Zabuza's gaze lingered on you, and you shrugged: "Hmm... maybe it's because I'm a chivalrous person?"

Is that how you use that word? Zabuza sneered. Getting back to the point, he wouldn't talk about these digressions anymore. He said, "Tell me, what should we do with those guys who offended you at the meeting today? Kill them outright?"

"That's a bit too direct." After thinking for a moment, you felt that you should try to reason with people first, so you said, "I always try to persuade people with reason."

Zabuza was skeptical. "Persuading people with reason," he thought, "that's not what you said when you assigned him those dirty jobs." Zabuza retorted, "And now you're spouting all that high-sounding rhetoric—"

As he spoke, he took out the intelligence he had collected, which he compiled into a small booklet. You flipped through that booklet.

Great, so the old man who offended you is either a pervert or a human trafficker. Now you think you can skip the polite treatment part and say, "What... so they're all scumbags. Then there's no need to worry about anything, let's just deal with it."

In the end, didn't he still end up doing all the dirty work? Zabuza thought to himself.

You close the booklet and hand it to Zabuza. He takes the booklet and uses this opportunity to move closer to you. You think he's going to throw a tantrum again and say helplessly, "Can you please stop? I've already given you the mission. Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I heard you," he said absentmindedly. "What he can do, I can do too."

It took you a few seconds to understand his convoluted thought process. What? He's here to apply to be your lover too? Although you don't oppose office romances, given the current trend, anyone who doesn't know the situation would think you're a heartless boss who likes to take advantage of subordinates, right?

So you say, "We're not considering that right now. The place is full. Go back and wait for our notification."

Zabuza seemed to feel humiliated by what you said. It's strange. After becoming a ninja, he had abandoned his sense of shame and his inner weakness, but after interacting with you, those discarded things came back. You are like a contagious source that made him sick.

However, he didn't dislike this feeling. That's how ordinary humans are, right? They can sense joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and they retain that sense of shame.

Zabuza smirked and said, "Is this how you try to get rid of me?"

You tugged at the bandage wrapped around his neck. "If you want to be my lover, my advice is that you should pay a little more attention to your appearance."

You pulled on a corner of the bandage around my neck, and for a moment I saw a chain.

Actually, you definitely prefer quiet and obedient cats to disobedient large dogs. Of course, you're not talking about Uchiha Itachi; he's the cunning black cat with countless tricks up his sleeve.

Zabuza grunted, and even after you loosened the bandages, he didn't distance himself from you; he still stared at you intently.

Perhaps the work assigned to him was too little. If he were really busy, he wouldn't be thinking about these things. So you decided to give him more tasks in the future.

After he left, you lazily lay on the sofa again and said to Bai, "If you want to sleep, it's better to go to the bed. Sleeping here will easily cause a stiff neck."

But you didn't want to walk by yourself anymore, so you opened your arms to Bai and said, "Bai, carry me over, I don't want to move."

Bai will agree to any request you make; he seems to have never refused you before, so he won't refuse you this time either.

He bent down and picked you up. Bai's figure was slender, but that didn't mean he lacked strength. Most of the people in this world who could become my ninjas were exceptionally talented, and their strength couldn't be judged by their appearance alone.

He placed you on the edge of the bed, and you lay down and burrowed into the covers. Bai then asked, "Do you still need me to keep watch tonight?" Usually, to prevent others from assassinating you in the middle of the night, Bai would stay by your bedside until dawn. Although he said it wouldn't affect him, you know how painful it is to be sleep-deprived.

So you turn around, reach out, take his hand, and say, "You can sleep next to me too." The bed is big enough that you can roll around on it without any problem.

Bai hesitated for a moment and said, "Won't this disturb your rest?"

I received a very affirmative answer from you: "No."

He then slowly walked around to the other side and leaned against you. His fragrance became even clearer. You took a breath and said with a laugh, "It feels like I can only smell Bai's fragrance now."

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked.

"That's great." You buried your head in his chest. The boy's appearance was androgynous, and even the feeling he gave you was uniquely gentle.

"Won't you be unable to breathe like this?" Bai worriedly pulled you out of his arms, afraid that you wouldn't be able to breathe. Your cheeks were slightly flushed, and you said, "No, I won't."

Bai gently tucked a stray hair behind your ear, his gaze tracing the contours of your face for a long time before he finally said, "May I kiss you?"

He asks you this question every time before he kisses you, very seriously, and you say, "Okay."

His kisses were also very gentle, and you laughed and said, "Excuse me, am I some kind of fragile thing? Why are you being so gentle? I can't even feel your kiss."

"Because I like you." Bai brushed aside the stray hairs on your forehead. You used to have bangs, but you found them too troublesome, so you just cut them very short with a pair of scissors. Now these short bangs are slowly growing long and fluffy. He kissed your forehead and then your bangs. "Liking someone makes you more cautious. I don't think you're very fragile, Mingxi."

On the contrary, he thinks you are very brave, able to stay true to yourself in this chaotic world, and even build your own business empire and use your power to change the world. Isn't that enough to prove how powerful you are? This is something that so many people cannot do.

You were already a little sleepy, so you didn't hear what Bai said to you after that. You just leaned against him and fell asleep. Bai patted your back gently, listening to your soft and even breathing. Just being close to him was enough to make him feel happy.

"Goodnight, Mingxi." He said, and then kissed your forehead again.

*

After attending several business summits in a row, you feel like you need to go on vacation again. This time, instead of returning to the Land of Waves, you decide to visit Orochimaru, your business partner. Just before you are about to set off, Obito Uchiha comes looking for you, looking aggressive. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you did something to him.

You're packing your luggage when he suddenly appears in your room without a word and asks, "You have a fiancé in Konoha?"

What the heck? You looked up in surprise and slowly typed a question mark at him. "What fiancé? How come you, as the person in question, have no recollection of him at all?"

"How could you not know? Or are you lying to me again?" Obito Uchiha was still furious.

Instead of arguing with the angry large dog, you generously tell him, "I'll wait until you calm down before we talk properly."

"You're changing the subject."

"Don't you think you're being a little too emotional?" You shrug. Are all Uchiha like this? What is this, uh, a national characteristic? Considering the conditions for them to awaken the Sharingan, it's no wonder they're prone to being emotional.

In the end, Obito Uchiha calmed down a bit before saying to you, "So you don't have a fiancé in Konoha?"

Who started this rumor? Could it be your competitor? They see you don't smoke or drink and are supposed to be clean-living, so they're starting to smear you? How despicable! You have a whole team of very professional lawyers; they're guaranteed to make the other side pay up.

"Where did you get this information from?" As you were thinking of finding out who spread the rumor, Obito crossed his arms and said, "It's Itachi Uchiha. He's always claimed to be your fiancé in Konoha. Didn't you know that?"

Ah... so it was him. Hearing the name Uchiha Itachi from his mouth, you suddenly have a "I knew it" feeling. This is indeed something he would do.

If it's him, then you can't sue him, since you have a reasonable suspicion that he deliberately leaked the information to lure you out.

Uchiha Itachi, what a cunning man.

"So, is that him?" Obito Uchiha was still preoccupied with the answer to this question.

You said, "No, but this isn't something you, as a lover, need to worry about, is it?"

His joy lasted only two seconds before his face fell again.

Obito, you still can't hide your feelings.