Jun Nee was awakened by a rustling at the door of her home. She got up and looked as her brother entered the house.

“Little Sister, sorry to wake you.” He said.

“No problem,” she said, “I should be getting up anyways. Any luck.”

He shrugged. “I’m still trying to make headway, find a job with the merchants. Hopefully soon I’ll come up with something.” Jun Nin Xe said, collapsing at his chair. “At this point, you are our main breadwinner. I’m such a failure, not only as a man but as a brother.”

“Nonsense!” she said. She walked over to her brother and hugged her. “Without you, I wouldn’t have survived here. I’m sure you’ll find something and if you don’t then you should lean on me, like I have leaned on you.”

“So wise,” he said, “for such a little brat.” He smirked.

She smiled, “Boys are impossible.” She said and they stopped embracing. “Let me wash up and get to work.”

He nodded. “I’m going to bed.”

Jun Nee washed up, chose a dress that she would be comfortable in and headed off to work.

She walked across the streets of the town. Being early morning, shops were still being opened.

“Jun Nee,” a voice called from an alleyway.

She stopped and looked towards the direction. Even though the speaker melded within the shadows of the alleyway thanks to his black clothes, she still could make him out.

She looked around and approached him. “Yin Zheng,” she said, quietly. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again… after yesterday.” She looked around. “Are you alone, or are you with your ‘friends.’”

“I’m alone,” he said. “Did you think about what we asked you for yesterday.”

“Spying on my employer.” She said. “I don’t like it, Zheng’er.”

“Its for a good course.” Zheng said. “You see what the nobles do, how they affect us. You see how your brother is.”

“But-But what about Zen?”

He looked away, a look of annoyance on his face. “What about him?”

“You would really hurt him? He is your friend?”

“No, he is not.” He said.

She looked away.

“You know I am not evil right? I’m not a bad person. I just want us all to be equal.”

“I know you are not bad?” she said. “I know you, Zheng’er, you’re the least bad person I know.”

He smiled. “So, you’ll help?”

She kept quiet. “I-I need to get to work. I’m late.” She began walking away.

He brushed her arm with his fingers and she stopped, looked back at him with sad eyes.

“Think about it.” He said. “We’ll talk later.”

She nodded and left.

Jun Nee entered the mansion grounds and the chef called her as she was passing by the kitchen.

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“Jun Nee, I need you to make a delivery for me!” the woman said.

“Of course,” Jun Nee said, following the chef into the kitchen.

“A little birdy told me you were the perfect person to make this delivery.”

“A little… birdy?” She said, almost out of breath, it was hotter than usual that morning. Already her brow was shining in sweat.

“Here it is,” the chef said, revealing the three dishes before her. They were puffy yellow pastries. “These are Puff Cakes, apparently, its Madam City Lord’s favourite dish for her special day.”

“Her special day?” Jun Nee tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t know Anything about today being a special day for the Miss. Is it her birthday?”

The chef shrugged.

“Some kind of anniversary?”

The chef shrugged again. “Master Wang just told me this was her favourite dish and today was a special day so I should make it.”

“Strange,” she said.

“So, you need to deliver these to her office.” The chef said. “But the thing is, they are very sensitive to temperature, sound and vibrations. So, you’ll need to deliver them as smoothly and quietly as possible.”

Jun nee nodded. “So, I’m guessing they need to be delivered fast,”

The chef nodded.

Jun Nee understood why she was selected to do this. Thanks to her Fleet Foot Ki Technique that she learned while she was a ‘hostess’, basically a slave really. Until Zen helped her escape that life.

“Why are their three?” Jun Nee asked.

“Three chances,” the chef held up three fingers.

She smirked. “Let’s see if I can do it in one.” She took a dish and made it toward the exit of the kitchen, at which, she activated her Fleet Foot to speed out and through the mansion.

Jun Nee saw that the puffs were really sensitive to temperature, as they began to droop a little, now that it was out of the humid environment of the kitchen. She looked down at it in worry, she hoped she would make it in time. When she looked up, her way was barred by the cleaning maids, who were congregated on the floor on their hands and knees, cleaning the area.

She took a detour by turning right. She realised the mistake she had made, the stairs on this path were exceptionally tall, unless she took the long way. She looked down at the puff, unsure if it could survive the long way, she decided to take the stairs. She ran up the stairs, each step sending vibrations into the pastry!

“No,” she whispered to herself as she began to move fasted in hopes of smoothing out the ride. The air caused by her fast movement ripped through the puff, popping it open to reveal the yellow, sweet liquid at its core. Her shoulders drooped as she headed back to the kitchen…

“Ah, sad you’re not a fire elementalist.” The chef said, looking at the popped puff cake.

“Yes,” she said, a little disappointed in herself. “It is a good thing Master Wang asked you to bake 3 of them.” She placed the popped pastry down and took the second one. She looked around, can I borrow a pan.

“Sure!” the chef said. “Borrow anything you want.”

On her second try, Jun Nee knew to avoid the maids and stairs. She knew she would need to take a longer route than she planned with a shorter flights of stairs. This would require her to move faster, which is why she took the pan. As she used Fleet Foot to run across the mansion, she placed the pan in front of the puff cake as she ran, so that the wind doesn’t pop this one like it did the last.

She was now getting even closer to the office and the puff pastry did not look too bad. She had to screech to a stop when she saw more maids cleaning right in the hallway that led to the City Lord’s office. She looked at the puff cake, it was still intact.

She looked at the maids with a distraught expression before making a U-turn. Jun Nee was confused as to why the maids were cleaning the areas at this time. Their normal schedule would have these areas done by now.

She was now taking the longer route, looking at the puff cake, whose droop began to be noticeable. A few steps away from the door, it popped!

She growled to herself and fought the urge to scream and swear in frustration. Then she went back to the kitchen.

“Last chance, Jun Nee.” The chef said a they both looked at the last puff cake.

“This time, I’ll get it right.” Jun Nee said. “Now I know which detours to take. I just need to be fast enough.”

The Chef nodded. “Okay, good luck.”

She took the puff pastry and ran out with Fleet Foot. She detoured from the cleaning maids, avoided the long flight of stairs, avoided the side of the hallway that was blocked by maids and made it to the other side.

She snuck up on the door and slowly opened it. She did not want to risk popping the puff now that she was at her destination.

“Hello, Ma’am.” She said as she entered the room.

“Ah, Jun Nee, what’s that?” Wang Lin said, looking up from her documents on her desk to the plate in Jun Nee’s steady hands.

“For you, Ma’am.” Jun Nee said, placing it on Lin’s desk.

She frowned. “Puff Cakes?”

Jun Nee smiled. “Yes!”

“A bit too rich for so early in the morning.” She looked at the sweet in disgust.

“U-Uh?” Jun Nee said.

“Please take it back and get me my normal breakfast.”

“B-But today is-is your special day.” Jun Nee said. “That’s why Z-Master Wang had this made.”

“He must be mistaken,” she said, shooing the treat as if it was a living pest, “today is just another day.”

Jun Nee took the Puff Cake, which popped. “Okay, Ma’am, I’ll get you your normal breakfast.” She said, all the energy being drained from her.