Yue Linze chuckled. His face had caused him enough trouble throughout his life; he was used to it. He sighed and lazily reached for his water cup. Just as he was about to drink, he caught his reflection and froze.

The clear water mirrored his bruised and battered face, streaked with iodine, a vibrant, chaotic mess.

Staring at the cup, he fell silent. The memory of flirting with Tao Yu while looking like this made him, for the first time, consider that her disgust might have been genuine.

Thwack!

He placed the cup on the floor, his face expressionless, and lay back down, closing his eyes. Just as he was drifting off, he remembered that when they’d fallen into that ditch together, his face had looked much the same.

Yue Linze’s lips twitched. He finally understood the meaning of mortification.

In the dining hall, Tao Yu leaned against a pillar, observing the inmates under her watch as they ate.

The prisoners were clearly divided into two factions, the tension so thick she felt like a fight could break out any second.

In contrast, Old Chang’s area was peaceful. The inmates ate their meals without incident, then lined up obediently, waiting to be escorted back to their cells.

“I’ll be off then. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be back in the office after I take these guys back. There’s a meeting today.” Old Chang left with his group.

Tao Yu watched them go with envy, then returned her attention to her own unruly charges. The moment Old Chang left, the atmosphere shifted.

If it had been tense before, now it was explosive.

She discreetly stepped back, her hand resting on her baton.

Li Xun, noticing her movement, sneered. “What, is the officer going to get involved?”

“They’re taking advantage of our boss being gone to mess with us. Of course, our officer will get involved!” Fatty, certain that Tao Yu was on their side, puffed out his chest. He didn't care what she could actually do; having a prison guard on their side was bragging rights for six months.

“Who’s on your side? Forgotten who gave you that black eye?” Tao Yu shot Fatty a look. “And ‘messing with’ isn’t the right phrase here.”

“The officer is right!” Fatty grinned at Li Xun, completely missing the point.

Li Xun hated being provoked. He’d felt a flicker of satisfaction seeing Fatty’s bruised face, courtesy of Tao Yu, but Fatty’s smugness infuriated him. “Shut up! Didn’t you hear her say she’s not with you?!”

“What do I care? I’ll be smug if I want to!” Fatty retorted.

Their childish bickering escalated, and suddenly, both sides brandished makeshift weapons, spoons, bowls, wooden sticks, anything they could find. Tao Yu raised an eyebrow, wondering where they’d stashed them.

As the situation reached a boiling point, she yawned. “Hurry it up, gentlemen. Didn’t you hear Old Chang say he needed me? I’m new here. If I’m late, he’ll give me a hard time.”

Her casual interruption diffused some of the tension. Li Xun and Fatty glared at her, then at each other, silently agreeing to exchange a few more insults.

Fighting was routine, and a pre-fight shouting match was essential for morale. Life needed a little ceremony, after all.

“Oh, and this is the dining hall. It’ll be a mess after you’re done. Clean it up, or I’ll get yelled at tomorrow.” Tao Yu smiled sweetly.

That killed the mood entirely. Li Xun threw down his ladle. “Are you done? Always getting yelled at! What’s your use?! You’re an embarrassment to Sector Five!”

“And Sector Six!” Fatty chimed in.

Tao Yu chuckled. “I thought I was in charge of Sector Four.”

“Who wants to be in the same sector as them? I’m Sector Six! Six is the best!” Fatty declared proudly.

Li Xun rolled his eyes. “I’m Sector Five, which is ranked higher than some people!”

…Right, so they’d apparently dismantled Sector Four and declared themselves Sectors Five and Six. Tao Yu’s lips twitched. She glanced at the clock. “Five more minutes, gentlemen. Please be quick.”

“.…” 

Li Xun’s anger ping-ponged between Fatty and Tao Yu, leaving him feeling exhausted before the fight even started. What was the point? He turned to tell his men to leave.

Skinny Monkey grabbed his arm and said to Tao Yu, “Don’t mind him, officer. Since you’ve decided to stay out of our business, we’ll respect that. We’ll try not to keep you from your work when you’re on patrol.”

Li Xun frowned. He hadn't even wanted to fight, but Skinny Monkey made it seem like he’d been talked down, making him look weak.

Skinny Monkey, sensing his displeasure, whispered, “You’re the boss. You’d lose face if you just walked away.”

Li Xun considered this. After weighing the two types of face-losing scenarios, he remained silent, as if he’d genuinely been persuaded.

With Skinny Monkey’s declaration, Fatty bristled. “Walk away? Not until I’ve avenged my boss! Nobody’s going anywhere!”