8 Bai Aizhong, Bai Aiai (Person A)

A lean figure exited the cab ignoring the glances sent their way as they leaned down and offered a small wad of cash to the driver of the cab. They spoke fluent English with only a trace of an accent pursing their lips. "Be sure to treat yourself." Their tone was a mixture of gratitude and flirtation which caused the steely expression of the driver to fade into amusement.

"Alright, alright, Aizhong," the driver scolded, affectionately calling the person by their first name. "I see you next time you're in town."

"Of course. Where would I be without my favorite tour guide?" They declared without hesitation.

The driver wrinkled her eyes and waved them away. "Next time bring lover. Cute couples get discounts."

The person known as Aizhong nodded their head and gave the driver another wave. They retrieved their luggage from the back of the cab and turned towards the busy entrance of an airport.

Aizhong pulled out their passport, thumb brushing over the letters of their name. Aizhong, such a masculine and powerful name. Fitting for the heir to the Bai family's many ventures and legacy. A name which should not have been theirs. It was the name that had belonged to their brother.

Aizhong blew out a long breath and ambled into the airport. They would only have a moment to change their clothes before boarding the plane. Outside of China, whenever they were conducting business, Aizhong would be a masculine figure. A bit girlish in appearance, but it made them resemble an angelic model. But back home, Aizhong became Aiai. A slim and weak appearing woman. It was strange how certain clothes made others think of them as an otherworldly piece of beauty and others made them a pushover.

Bai Aizhong shook their head, clearing the complicated thoughts away. They didn't have time to ponder over the specifics of who they were. They had one persona for one task and another for the rest. It was easily simplified to that by the rest of their family and friends.

All except for one. The bane of Bai Aizhong's life, the one person always capable of calling at the worst of times with the most demanding of requests. Bai Aizhong would have considered leaving her behind and focusing on their own mess of a life, but this person saved them. Saved what they had been tasked with protecting. And those of the Bai family never left a debt unpaid. It was only a little inconvenient that the debt in question could only be equal to a lifelong contract. Lei Yinying, a mysterious boss they had only ever heard their voice.

The person had appeared before them once before, but somehow the memories were unclear to them. A figure masked in upscruity that had delivered them away from the hands of Yama. The price of remaining alive for the rest of their family was to listen to the whims of a mysterious benefactress. Bai Aizhong shook their head. [A small price to pay indeed,] they admitted to themselves.

Bai Aizhong ducked into a nearby restroom and expertly transformed themselves. The binding around their chest was removed revealing the ample weight usually hidden. The loose fitting clothes were exchanged for a single dress and a pair of low-heels. The dress was made of chiffon with patterns of flowers and danced across it. The flowers were individually different yet similar to one another. Each hand embroidered upon the fawn colored fabric. The delicate bow tied at the throat and around the waist accentuated the slimness of the person's figure. The small heels provided a bit of height which prevented the lean figure from appearing overly tall nor too small to mistake them from afar for someone substantially weaker and younger. The person tucked the masculine clothes into their on-board bag and stood before the mirror. Bai Aizhong entered the restroom and Bai Aiai would exit.

She exited and went directly towards her boarding gate. Bai Aiai glanced down at their phone to reveal a cutesy message sent by their current lover. The photo revealed half of the figure's morning face, the hair tousled in a way easily mistaken for purposeful and the smirk upon their face one filled with pleasurable satisfaction. The message after the photo promised retribution for being unable to keep him company during the day and yearning for missing out on each other. Bai Aiai and her lover could barely spend time together between their chaotic schedules. It didn't help that due to various reasons that her lover refused to visit her in China.

Bai Aiai pursed her lips as her desire to request her benefactress' aid bubbled up inside. Bai Aiai's lover was the adopted son of the Mao family. This Mao family had several business dealings with her own Bai family, but she had never met this mysterious adopted son in her youth. She only discovered the truth of his status when she met him as a young adult. Mao Xuntao was the result of the Mao family heir's infidelity and he was only brought back from overseas when the wife of the Mao family heir was unable to conceive. Despite all of this, the Mao family only acknowledged him as the adopted son of his biological father and his legal wife. Mao Xuntao was set to become the next heir when he suddenly had to flee the country.

It was this and other things which had not been said that neither of them admitted to wanting anything more than a "lovers" status with each other.

Bai Aiai's finger absently caressed the image before the call for the final boarding pulled her from her thoughts. "I still have to stop in two other countries to retrieve Person B and C."

Person B was nearly as whimsical as their shared benefactress, but Bai Aiai, at least, who they were and what they looked liked. Person C was nearly as much of an enigma as their benefactress. Although, she had caught Person C refer to their benefactress as "older sister" a time or two. She wondered if the two of them knew each other outside of their shared life debts.

Bai Aiai shook her head. She knew that while she had the most shares in the company, it was because she was the most involved in the actual mechanics of running a business. Person B was a shut-in who changed where she was shut-in once a year. The number of projects they had running kept them drowning in enough wealth to move from one luxury penthouse suite to the next. Person B bored themselves quickly, but suffered from terrible social anxiety. Person C, on the other hand, seemed to be a fanatic worshipper of their benefactress. Person C had displayed her skills in the medical field multiple times and would greet Bai Aiai with a shark-like smile.

She really hated being tasked with retrieving each of them on her way back to China every time Lei Yinying would need them. "Let's hope this time I don't need to resort to threats to get both of them on a plane."