Liwu escaped the house before chaos could begin. She could hear her husband summoning all the servants and bodyguards to hunt for lucky rabbit’s feet. The war he had declared was a dangerous one. Yuening would retaliate. With her strength system, even one pinch could be as painful as being flung onto a wall.

Suppressing laughter, Liwu walked to the driveway, opened the trunk of the SUV and climbed inside. She left the door open, sitting cross-legged with a blanket thrown over her legs. Once again, she dived into the novel crimson harbor.

Not less than ten minutes later, Weijun limped to the driveway, clutching his bruised face. "Don’t you dare laugh," he muttered.

Liwu burst out laughing anyway, her voice echoing through the quiet night. "You threatened every rabbit within our vicinity all the while knowing that your grandaunt owns a pet rabbit. What did you think would happen?"

Her phone buzzed. She linked her watch to the phone and saw the text. It was a video in the Tai family group chat. In the video, Weijun was being tag teamed by Yuening and Officer Bun! They had responded to the threat with the fury of a family elder and frightened pet.

Weijun groaned, dragging himself toward Liwu. "Move over. I am joining you. I am not going back to the house to face that terrible duo. The stupid rabbit bit me in the arm!" The trunk creaked as he climbed in beside her, grumbling. "Do you know what it feels like to be bullied by a six year old child? She called me ’Mayor of Nonsense.’ She said the blonde dye I used to put in my hair had rotted my brain. And then--then, she told me rabbits have more use in the world than I do!"

Liwu wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "She is not wrong. The blonde hair dye was stupid. Also, rabbits are food so they do have more use in the world than you do."

Her husband scowled. "Don’t let Yuening hear you calling rabbits food. She banned rabbit meat in this house. Also, you are my wife. You are supposed to defend me."

"I am supposed to arrest criminals." Liwu corrected. "Not rescue you from your six year old grand aunt and her pet rabbit."

He slumped against the back chairs, sulking. "I am the mayor of this city. Do you know how many people I make stand outside my office? I command respect. But in this house, even a rabbit can bite and laugh at me."

Liwu leaned back, her smile softening. "Maybe declare war on dogs next time and leave rabbits alone." Then she grimaced, "When Reaper returns, take it easy though. His bite is worse will make Officer Bun’s bite feel like a kiss."

He sighed dramatically. "I did not even get the chance to conduct my search appropriately. But at least I made sure our bedroom was safe."

Liwu tilted her head, examining the bruise on his cheek. "My tragic hero."

He groaned louder. "Maybe stop at tragic altogether." He leaned down, resting his head on her chest. "It wasn’t enough that she punched me, she told me to apologize to Officer Bun or kneel in the ancestral hall for a night."

The trunk became a confession box, a cramped sanctuary where grievances spilled like tea. Liwu listened, amused, as her husband recounted every insult or blow delivered by Yuening.

"I am the mayor," he muttered, "but I was made to apologize to Officer Bun! Apologize Liwu! To a rabbit!"

Liwu chuckled. "Well, you did threaten to set Officer Bun on fire. I think she deserved the apology."

He glared. He had threatened lucky rabbit’s feet. Officer Bun was not a lucky rabbit! "You are enjoying this too much."

"Of course," Liwu said. "It’s not every day I see the mighty mayor defeated by a six year old and her pet rabbit!"

He buried his head deeper in her chest. "I will never live this down."

She patted his back gently. "Don’t worry, I will make sure everyone in my family keeps your secret. And if they mock you, come to me and I will tell you their embarrassing secrets."

"Really?"

She grinned. "But be warned, I will be sharing this with my work colleagues. It is too funny of a story to leave at home." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Weijun’s groan echoed through the trunk, louder than the howl he made when Yuening punched him. "You are a cruel woman Tai Liwu."

She laughed again, her voice warm. "Cruel, but honest."

He poked the side of her waist and she giggled. This started a series of playful pokes, giggles and twisting. The air in the trunk grew warm the more they enjoyed the absurdity.

Suddenly, the trunk door slammed shut. Darkness enveloped them.

Weijun froze. "Did you....close it?"

Liwu blinked. "No. Grand aunt did."

From outside came a victorious giggle of a six-year-old. "Now, you are both trapped. Officer Bun is safe forever!"

Liwu sighed, "I have a feeling that you have started a war which we are both going to regret. We have been imprisoned by a child! I don’t think it can get any more ridiculous."

Weijun hugged her waist. "At least we are trapped together. It would have been worse of I was trapped alone. Since we are stuck, we might as well talk."

"About what?" She asked.

He scowled in the dark. "Anything...we don’t have to choose a topic. Maybe we can discuss how much of a bully Yuening is becoming ever since Butler Chen and the women of your family started teaching her how to be a forceful matriarch. Or, we can discuss how soft your waist is."

She rolled her eyes. "Not two."

"Then three," he suggested, placing a gentle kiss suddenly on the back of her neck. "Does the bureau happen to know where my murderous uncle Han Ce is hiding? It has been ages since my last assassination attempt or any attack on my family or the company. The deeper he hides, the more worried I become." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish he could just confront aunt Shen Biao directly and unleash all his anger on her, ending the conflict for good.

Naturally, I know he could take her life. Sometimes....in the past, there were moments when I wished she would just drop dead and end it all.

Does that make me a bad person?"