Inside the Steambird Newspaper's special judging room, rows of photographs, each filled with their creators' passion and ingenuity, were being evaluated anonymously by an expert panel.
This was no easy task. Out of the countless entries, selecting the top hundred required sharp eyes and professional mastery. To prevent hidden gems from being overlooked, the judging system was rigorous: every photo would be reviewed by multiple judges across several rounds.
This photography contest, held under the banner of the Fontaine–Liyue Cultural Exchange, had to be perfect. Any scandal or error would damage not just the Steambird's reputation, but also relations between the two nations.
In short, it would be the fairest photography contest in all of Teyvat.
Yet soon, the judges faced a… difficult dilemma.
A heated debate broke out around one particular photo, a striking image of a drenched, handsome man in a white shirt, pinned to the board with magnets.
"This is disgraceful! Utterly indecent!" barked an elderly photography critic, his face red with outrage. "Such vulgar display will lower the tone of this contest, it's nothing but shameless exploitation of male beauty!"
But a young female judge disagreed immediately.
"Indecent? Hardly! I find it beautiful! The rain-soaked shirt represents the sweat and perseverance of Fontaine's young generation! The faintly visible abs beneath the fabric, symbolic of their strength and resilience!"
She pointed at the background. "And look, it's an office setting! That shows determination and ambition in the workplace! We can't be so narrow-minded about art! Besides, it's not even that revealing, most of the skin's covered!"
Then, with a sly smile, she added, "By the way, does our paper have the model's contact info? I'd… like to conduct an in-depth interview about Fontaine's youthful spirit."
The other judges could almost hear her ulterior motives rattling like abacus beads.
A neutral judge quickly stepped in. "Everyone, calm down. Let's focus on professional discussion, not personal tastes."
"Since the photo's subject is controversial, let's evaluate it purely on technique."
"From a technical standpoint, lighting, framing, and contrast, it was indeed outstanding."
"The photographer clearly knows their craft," said the technical judge. "Not the absolute best, but easily in the top tier. It deserves to make the finals."
Even the old-fashioned critic couldn't argue with that. Technically, the photo was flawless.
"Then the only question left," the neutral judge continued, "is whether to give this work more exposure."
"I object," said the old critic.
"I agree," said the young female judge.
The rest of the votes were split evenly.
Then someone frowned. "Wait… doesn't that man look familiar to anyone?"
The young female judge nodded enthusiastically. "He does! He looks exactly like my ideal type!"
Several of the male judges, who had been quietly admiring her, suddenly felt a pang of despair.
Another judge leaned closer. "Hold on… isn't that guy an official from the Court of Fontaine?"
"Wait, he's a civil servant?! That's bonus points!" squealed the young woman.
"Miss, please control yourself," said the neutral judge, exasperated. "This is a photography contest, not a dating fair."
"But if he's really an official… is it appropriate to display such a photo publicly?" someone asked.
That hit the core issue.
An official posing like that in a contest entry? Unheard of!
"What's the big deal?" the young female judge countered. "Our Lady Furina is both the Hydro Archon and a government leader, and she's also a celebrity. There's precedent!"
...And oddly enough, that did sound logical. There were no contest rules banning Fontaine officials from entering, after all.
"But what if he didn't submit it himself? Or didn't even know it was submitted?"
The judges exchanged uneasy looks. Finally, the neutral judge went to consult the Steambird's editor-in-chief, Euphrasie.
He soon returned. "No need to worry. It wasn't submitted by the subject himself, but Chief Euphrasie said it's fine."
Some had noticed the editor's strange expression when that entry came up, but since the boss said it was fine, it had to be fine.
If anything went wrong, it wouldn't be their responsibility.
With that, debate resumed. And one by one, the neutral judges began to side with the supporters, after all, a wet-shirt photo of a government officer being displayed publicly? That was going to be hilarious.
Human nature is simple: if something promises entertainment, people will look.
Clorinde (somewhere far away): You're all murderers! (T﹏T)
In the end, the decision was made to grant the photo extra exposure. By tomorrow, it would be displayed prominently in the center of the exhibition hall.
As tension eased, someone joked, "The contest secrecy is so strict this year. Even the titles are hidden! I wonder what this photo's called."
"'After the Rain'? Or maybe… 'The Wet Official'?" another laughed. "Whatever it is, we'll see tomorrow. I'd love to meet the artist!"
Everyone glanced at the young female judge.
'Meet the artist? More like meet the man in the photo,' they all thought, but politely kept it to themselves.
The Fontaine–Liyue Cultural Exchange Festival had been running for a week, with all events progressing smoothly. The most popular, of course, was the Steambird's photography contest, partly because everyone wanted to see if their own submissions got in, and partly because, well… people love looking at pretty things.
And among so many photos, there were sure to be favorites, beautiful women, perhaps, or ones in revealing clothes.
'It's all art,' after all.
Meanwhile, Clorinde rushed from Furina's office toward the Steambird.
She had to explain the situation immediately. That photo, Richard's photo, must never see the light of day.
But when she arrived, the staff informed her that Chief Euphrasie and the judging team had already gone to the exhibition venue, where all the shortlisted photos had been printed and prepared overnight.
The Steambird had pulled out all its resources to ensure perfection.
To Clorinde, it felt like they were pulling out all their resources to ruin her life.
She staggered, lightheaded, chest heaving, barely able to stand.
She wasted no time and sprinted toward the exhibition site, hoping, praying, that she could stop it before the photos were displayed.
Meanwhile, Richard, Furina, and Lynette were also on their way to the same venue.
Naturally, it was Furina's idea; she wanted to show off her contest entry to Richard and maybe get his vote.
The hall was only about a ten-minute walk from the Court of Fontaine, but thanks to Furina stopping to greet every citizen who waved at her, it took a little longer.
When they finally arrived, the place was packed.
"Wow! It's even busier than before!" Furina exclaimed.
Crowds filled the hall and spilled into the streets. Even the Special Patrol Unit had to assist the security team to keep order.
"Probably because of the contest," Richard said. "I saw some of the displayed photos on the way, The Steambird really went all-out on promotion."
"Let's head to the center; I told Ningguang I'd meet her there," Furina replied.
She tried to act confident, but she was secretly anxious. She hadn't seen her cat photos anywhere.
'What if I didn't get in? No, impossible, everyone loves cats… right?'
Still, her heart pounded as they neared the central display.
Then she walked right into Richard's back.
"Hey! Why'd you stop?" she asked, rubbing her forehead.
Richard didn't answer, but Lynette tugged her sleeve and silently pointed ahead.
There, in the grand center of the exhibition, on the largest display board, the "C-position" of the entire venue, hung a familiar face.
Richard.
Soaked shirt. Smoldering stare. Rain dripping from his jawline.
Furina froze.
Her brain blue-screened.
"T-that's… Richard? S-so… sensual..."
The Hydro Archon stood there, completely entranced.
Her divine dignity shattered instantly under the weight of sheer male beauty.
"Is this… something I can just look at for free?" she whispered, clutching her wallet.
"Do they sell merchandise? I'll buy ten!"
"Richard, you entered the contest too?" she asked, eyes sparkling.
Richard's face was expressionless.
His voice was cold and hollow: "No, Lady Furina."
"Then…"
"That's your submission."
"Eh? But I clearly, "
Furina looked closer. Under the photo was the title: "The Cat Who Stole the Heart."
And below it, the author's name: Furina.
"…This can't be right."
She stared, flustered. 'I took pictures of cats! How did it become him?! What is this, some kind of magic trick?!'
Still… she had to admit, it was a fantastic photo.
Blushing furiously, she thought, 'Maybe I can ask for that poster after the event… I'll pay for it!'
Lynette, standing beside her, quietly had the same thought, but unlike Furina, she knew Richard would have the entire display taken down within the hour.
And indeed, Richard's only thought when he saw that picture was,
"Clorinde… you're so fired."