"Lumine, look. I told you Su Han was already awake, right? Hehe."
"Mm. Su Han, what do you want to eat? We'll go buy it for you."
Faced with their questions, Su Han thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have a bowl of vegetable soup and some bread. If possible, I'd also like a bouquet of flowers."
Hearing his request, Paimon could not help nodding. "No problem. I'll go find Flora to buy fresh flowers. Lumine, you go buy the food. We can't let Su Han go hungry."
"Okay."
The two of them came in a hurry and left just as quickly. Only after the sound of their footsteps faded did Su Han finally let out a breath. He had almost been discovered just now. It was truly terrifying.
"You can come out now."
Su Han opened the Serenitea Pot. As a vortex formed, Jean emerged from inside, her face red and ears burning. Looking at the empty room, she could not help asking, "Did Paimon and the others leave?"
"Yes. They went to buy me breakfast. They'll be back soon."
"Whew. That was really dangerous just now. Luckily you have an artifact gifted by an adeptus. That thing is really amazing. There's actually an entire island inside, and even fish and shrimp."
Thinking back on what just happened, Jean felt it was incredibly wondrous. It was her first time realizing that the adepti of Liyue were so powerful, capable of such methods.
Su Han smiled and said, "If you like it, I can ask an adeptus for one for you."
"No, no. Such a precious treasure would be wasted on me."
Jean was deeply moved by his words, but she could not accept it. She spent most of her time in the office, and giving her something so valuable would only let it gather dust.
Su Han analyzed it for her instead. "Don't rush to refuse. The adepti may not have many of these, but giving you one is not a problem. My point is that since you sit for long periods and cannot go out much, having something like this would at least let you relax indoors. And after what happened between us, are you really still going to refuse?"
"All right then."
Hearing him say that, Jean's pretty face instantly flushed red. Even though they had not taken the final step, they had hugged and slept together. How different were they from real lovers?
Taking advantage of the time before Paimon and Lumine returned, the two of them finally embraced properly.
Jean rested against Su Han's chest, listening to his strong, powerful heartbeat, and murmured softly, "I finally understand why women need a partner."
"Hm? What?"
"The feeling of being protected is truly intoxicating."
The two exchanged sweet words, and the atmosphere grew warmer. However, after only fifteen minutes, Jean got dressed and left. She did not want this relationship to be discovered.
For the rest of the morning, Su Han stayed in the ward. During that time, quite a few people came to visit him.
Around noon, the Hall Master herself finally arrived to deliver his meal.
"I heard from Shenhe that your comics have been selling in Inazuma. Is that true?"
Su Han raised an eyebrow and asked, "What, don't tell me you're planning to open a branch in Inazuma?"
"So what if I am? Inazuma is very close to us. Recently, I gathered quite a bit of information in the tavern. I heard there's constant warfare over there. Wouldn't going there be a chance to make a fortune?"
"I say, Hall Master, you should calm down. You can go to other nations, but Inazuma is the one place you shouldn't."
"Why?"
Hu Tao was very confused, and Paimon and Lumine beside her also looked over with curiosity. Although they had not been to other nations, they were travelers and would eventually set foot there. Knowing some information in advance would always help.
Su Han put down his teacup and said earnestly, "Inazuma is currently under a closed nation policy. There is a terrifying thunderstorm barrier along the outer coast, and inside they are carrying out the Vision Hunt Decree. On top of that, there is constant warfare. Even if you make money there, it will be swallowed up by the two major Tri-Commission families."
"Huh? So the environment in Inazuma is that bad? Then I definitely wouldn't dare go. But wait, will your comics be fine over there?"
"You don't need to worry about that. The thunderstorm barrier actually has loopholes, which is how Beidou can reach Inazuma. And comics are cheap and can ease the people's tense spirits. I think they should sell well."
Su Han seriously suspected that Beidou's route had been provided by that sly fox. Otherwise, with the nation locked down and all kinds of material shortages, Inazuma should not have been able to hold on long ago. Another point was that during the events, the authorities at Ritou turned a blind eye to Beidou's ship along the coast. That alone was enough to prove something suspicious was going on.
Hu Tao fell into thought. After a long while, she raised her head and said, "But I still decided to find some time to go take a look. At least to broaden my horizons. Worst case, wherever Sister Beidou goes, I'll follow."
Being stuck in one place made it hard for a person to grow.
Before coming to Mondstadt, she had never imagined the local customs here would be like this. And the battle with the dragon of wind could later be used to boast to Xingqiu and Chongyun. No matter how she thought about it, it felt like a huge win.
Seeing that Hu Tao wanted to go to Inazuma, Paimon hurriedly said, "Then how about we wait and go together? Lumine and I are also planning to head there later."
"Huh? Really? That's great. But when you come to Liyue, you have to stay for a while. After all, that's my home. Hehe."
With playmates to join her, Hu Tao immediately smiled even more happily.
Paimon and Lumine also felt that having an extra companion was a good thing, so they began discussing when to head to Inazuma.
To avoid disturbing Su Han, they even went outside to talk.
Unexpectedly, as soon as this group left, a figure appeared by the window. Shenhe's eyes turned cold, and a long spear instantly appeared in her hand. Without any hesitation, she thrust it forward, only for the other party to dodge it effortlessly.
Venti lightly hopped down from the window and said in dissatisfaction, "Hey, is this how you treat guests? I even brought a gift."
Shenhe put away her spear and said coldly, "My apologies. I thought you were an enemy."
"Hehe, no need to be like that. Even if you went all out, you still wouldn't be able to hurt me. Su Han, there's something I want to discuss with you."
"About Rosalyne?"
"Smart."
Venti placed the wine jar he was carrying on the table and then explained his purpose. Yesterday, he had noticed that Rosalyne's rejection toward him was not as intense as before, so he wondered if the matter could be resolved peacefully.
"You also know that my power hasn't really recovered to its peak. If we fight, it would be very troublesome. So could you give me an idea? As long as we can keep the Fatui quiet for two years, that will be enough."
He had seen Mondstadt's current changes clearly. With two years, it would definitely reach a state where it no longer feared the Fatui. And with Mondstadt still in a stage of rebuilding, he was willing to pay some price.
The corner of Su Han's mouth twitched as he thought to himself that such words might fool Rosalyne, but who else would believe them?
That said, matters here were also nearing their conclusion. Since Venti had taken the initiative to appear, perhaps letting him act as a mediator would be a good idea.
Su Han thought for a moment and said, "Helping you is not a problem, but I have two conditions."
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