The automatic doors slide open, and you feel it immediately - that prickle of awareness that comes when someone is watching you with intense focus. Your gaze locks across the crowded terminal with Li Peien, and he doesn't look away. He doesn't smile. Doesn't wave. Just stares, his dark eyes appraising every inch of you as he pushes away from the wall where he's been leaning.

He moves through the crowd like they're invisible obstacles, his long legs covering ground quickly until he's standing directly in front of you, close enough that you can smell the faint scent of his cologne - something woodsy and spicy that matches his demeanor. Without a word, his large hand wraps around your wrist, his thumb pressing into your pulse point with just enough pressure to be a warning.

"You're late," he says, his voice lower than you expected - a gravelly timbre that sends an unwanted shiver down your spine. His fingers tighten slightly when you try to pull away, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Did you think you could keep me waiting?"