Thanks for Exalted, Gallerhad and Michael Thunder for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
At Clorinde's Apartment.
At this moment, in the living room, Shao Yun sat on the sofa with an irritated expression, grumbling nonstop.
"This is so annoying! I just wanted to pay a simple visit—who would've thought I'd get begged out of nowhere to take someone as a student? Great, now my good mood is completely ruined!"
As he spoke, Shao Yun forcefully waved his hand, venting his dissatisfaction.
Hearing his complaints, Lumine recalled some past incidents and teased him, "Tell me—do you have some kind of grudge against Electro users?"
Lumine wasn't saying this without reason.
After all, Shao Yun had personally killed the Second Electro Archon. Perhaps, in some unseen way, he had already made enemies of everyone who wielded an Electro Vision—it wasn't entirely impossible.
Hearing Lumine's teasing, Shao Yun hurriedly defended himself. "Hey, don't generalize like that! I get along pretty well with Beidou, you know…"
"Though… if I'm being honest, that's kind of picking the tallest one among the short ones. She's about the only one I actually get along with."
Hearing this, Lumine began seriously thinking about people who could be considered Shao Yun's friends.
After racking her brain for quite a while, she realized she couldn't think of a single one.
She shook her head helplessly and said, "Sigh… to be honest, you really don't have many friends. And it feels like no matter who it is, none of them are especially close to you…"
Faced with Lumine's assessment, Shao Yun sighed softly and explained, "Can't be helped. I'm not exactly easy to talk to—you know that too."
The unspoken meaning was clear: he wasn't some warm-hearted, civic-minded good guy. Most of the time, he put his own interests first.
Seeing Shao Yun's helpless expression, Lumine let out a wry laugh and waved her hand. "Alright, alright. Let's stop talking about such annoying things."
"If we're going to Poisson for vacation, do we need to prepare anything extra?"
Food-obsessed Paimon immediately blurted out, "Tasty food!"
Hearing that, Lumine rolled her eyes and retorted, "That doesn't count as 'extra' at all!"
Just then, Navia slowly walked out of Clorinde's bedroom.
She turned back toward the room and gently reminded, "Make sure you rest properly, okay? We won't disturb you any longer. I'll come visit again tomorrow."
After that, she waved into the room and closed the door.
Paimon, who had been waiting nearby, immediately flew over and asked curiously, "Navia, how long will it take for Clorinde to fully recover?"
Navia frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and replied seriously, "Judging by Clorinde's current condition and recovery speed, I'd say at least about a month."
Hearing it would take a whole month, Paimon asked in disbelief, "What? A whole month?! Is Clorinde's injury really that serious?"
Navia nodded gravely. "Yes. Clorinde told me that bullet was extremely powerful—it even knocked her bones out of alignment."
"Her right arm can barely move at all right now, so even in the most ideal scenario, full recovery will take at least a month."
Hearing this, Paimon was filled with sympathy and couldn't help sighing, "That's so awful… I hope she gets better soon."
Navia waved her hand gently and comforted her, "Ah, don't think about it too much. Overthinking will just make things worse. Let's get going!"
With that, she turned and headed out the door first.
Shao Yun, Paimon, and Lumine followed after her.
Once the four of them left the apartment, Navia let out a long breath, then turned back and said, "Oh, right—I just remembered I still have something to take care of, so I can't stay with you all. I'll have to split off for a bit."
Hearing this, Paimon hurriedly waved goodbye. "Mm-hmm! Okay, Navia, see you later!"
Navia smiled and nodded at Paimon, then quickly turned and left.
Watching Navia disappear around the corner, Shao Yun suddenly felt bored and began glancing around at the surroundings.
After a moment, he turned his gaze to Lumine and casually asked, "So what are we doing next? We can't just wander around aimlessly, can we?"
Lumine's eyes spun, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face as she asked, "Shao Yun, you're pretty free right now, aren't you?"
Shao Yun nodded calmly. "I've got plenty of time. What's up? Need my help with something?"
Without another word, Lumine stepped forward, grabbed Shao Yun's arm, and dragged him briskly toward Fleuve Cendre.
As they walked, she said cheerfully, "Hehe, since you've got time, let's head back to Fleuve Cendre first. Once we're there, I'll tell you exactly what we're going to do next."
…
Just like that, the two of them chatted and laughed their way back to the Spina di Rosula base by Fleuve Cendre.
Five minutes earlier, following the clues Shao Yun had provided, Yelan had already found Yanfei.
With a blank expression, Yelan looked at Yanfei and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Yanfei, come back to Liyue with me."
Hearing this, Yanfei's eyes widened. Like a stubborn child, she shook her head furiously and muttered, "I already told you—I'm doing just fine here in Fontaine. There's absolutely no problem."
However, Yanfei's response didn't sway Yelan in the slightest. With a serious expression, she replied flatly, "Sorry, Miss Yanfei. There's no room for negotiation on this matter."
As she spoke, Yelan unceremoniously reached out and grabbed Yanfei's wrist.
No matter how Yanfei struggled, she couldn't break free from Yelan's grip.
Feeling helpless, Yanfei continued arguing, "Yelan, you're being way too domineering! I'm not a child! Can you stop managing me like this?!"
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Shao Yun's group—having just returned—noticed the small commotion in front of the Spina di Rosula base.
Seeing this, Paimon flew over curiously and asked, "Huh? What's going on here?"
At that moment, Yanfei noticed Yelan's attention shift slightly due to Shao Yun and the others. Seizing the opportunity, she suddenly exerted all her strength and finally broke free.
She immediately dashed behind Lumine and hid there, letting out a long breath of relief.
"Wow! Lumine, Paimon—you're finally here!" Yanfei peeked out from behind Lumine, her face full of joy.
Lumine looked at the somewhat disheveled Yanfei behind her and asked in confusion, "What exactly happened?"
Yelan walked forward calmly, maintaining her serious demeanor, and explained concisely, "I just want Yanfei to come back to Liyue with me. That's all."
"You should know about the attack Yanfei suffered in Fontaine. For her safety, I assume you'd support this."
Shao Yun felt Yelan's request was perfectly reasonable.
So, he nodded and said, "Alright. In that case, you two talk it out properly. We won't interfere."
With that, he prepared to leave with Lumine and Paimon.
Seeing that Shao Yun not only had no intention of helping her but was siding with Yelan instead, Yanfei was startled.
"Huh? You're not even going to help me a little?"
She truly couldn't understand why friends she usually got along well with would choose to stand by at a moment like this.
Hearing Yanfei's question, Shao Yun kept a calm expression and slowly explained his reasoning.
"As the saying goes, 'Even the fairest judge can't settle family disputes.' You're the famous legal advisor of Liyue—surely, you're far more experienced than we are when it comes to handling matters like this. So, it's best for you to resolve it yourself."
Hearing this, Yanfei grew even more anxious and hurriedly lowered her voice. "Hey, you know I've been busy tutoring Eula lately!"
"And after all my effort—and finally managing to get her some free time—her learning efficiency has actually improved."
"But if I suddenly go back to Liyue now, what's going to happen to Eula's studies?!"
Facing Yanfei's urgency, Shao Yun spread his hands helplessly. "Then… what exactly do you expect me to do?"
At that moment, Yanfei's eyes lit up as she came up with a brilliant idea.
Excitedly, she said, "How about this—you help me talk to Yelan! Ask her to cut me some slack and give me at least two more months, okay? Please!"
"Think about it—I promised to help Lyney and Lynette with their case before! Help me out here…" She looked at Shao Yun with eyes full of expectation.
When Yanfei mentioned that matter, Shao Yun's heart tightened—after all, she had taken a bullet for Lumine.
Truth be told, that was a real debt of gratitude.
On the surface, however, he nodded calmly. "Sigh… you really know how to trouble people. Fine—since we're close, I'll help you this once."
Seeing Shao Yun agree, Yelan frowned and said urgently, "Wait, Shao Yun—isn't this a bit unfair to me?"
"You can't just let me fail every mission, can you? That's going too far!"
Shao Yun had no choice. Since Yanfei had taken a bullet for Lumine, he had to side with her, at least a little.
"I can't help it either, Yelan. Just tell Ningguang it was my call. I don't believe she won't give me this much face." By the end, Shao Yun radiated an unquestionable confidence.
Hearing this, Yelan's expression darkened. She hadn't expected to end up stuck between two impossible positions.
Still unwilling to give up, she continued persuading him, "Even so, Shao Yun, you can't let me return empty-handed."
"At least let me complete one task. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to Ningguang?"
Looking at Yelan's anxious expression, Shao Yun paused.
After some thought, he realized he couldn't push her too far, so he softened his tone. "Alright, alright—you win."
"How about this: I'll personally make time to return to Liyue and meet Ningguang. Satisfied now?"
Hearing that Shao Yun would return to Liyue, Yelan immediately felt relieved—completing even one task was better than none.
She quickly asked, "Then when are you planning to go back to Liyue?"
Shao Yun scratched his neck awkwardly and replied uncertainly, "Um… within this month, I'll see if I can make time."
Hearing that it would be within a month, Yelan found the timeframe acceptable and agreed.
"Alright then. That way, I'll have something to report when I return. I'll be staying at the Palais Mermonia for the time being, and I plan to head back to Liyue in about a week. Do you want to travel together?"
As she finished speaking, Yelan raised an eyebrow at Shao Yun, her gaze carrying a subtle sense of urging.
Seeing this, Shao Yun assured her, "Don't worry about it. I'll definitely make time to go—I keep my word."
Since Shao Yun had said this much, Yelan knew there was no point pressing further and stopped asking.
"Very well. Yanfei, be extra careful while you're in Fontaine."
"If you change your mind and want to return to Liyue within the week, come find me at the Palais Mermonia. I'll be staying there the entire time."
After giving these instructions, Yelan left Fleuve Cendre.
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa