After All This Time, You're Still That Crybaby Little Girl!**
Shaking her head, Ganyu dispersed the chaotic thoughts lingering in her mind.
She looked at the guards before her as they saluted and sent one person ahead to guide her.
Ganyu followed silently.
Regardless of her personal feelings, since this was official business, she was willing to coordinate with Keqing even if there was some distance between them.
"Lady Keqing, Lady Ganyu has arrived."
Hearing the voice inside say "Please come in," Ganyu gave a slight nod to the guard who stepped back and entered alone.
According to the established procedure, she was here to discuss with Keqing the damage to the Bishui Trade Route—investigating the cause, the chain of events behind it, and the responsibility involved.
In addition, post-incident remedies and future repair plans all needed to be considered together.
Before coming, Ganyu had already temporarily settled the citizens who had come seeking answers. She only needed to confer briefly with Keqing and arrange short-term emergency measures.
With all her points carefully prepared in her mind, she planned to state them directly upon seeing Keqing, finish the discussion, and then take her leave.
Although she could remain objective when it came to official matters, beyond that, she was unwilling to engage in further interaction.
Perhaps this was a small personal stubbornness of a young woman.
But all of this was completely overturned the moment Ganyu pushed open the door and saw the two figures inside.
Her gentle gaze swept past Keqing—whom she had seen countless times—until it fully settled on the young man beside her.
The instant she saw him, Ganyu's pupils shrank violently. The face buried deep within her memories overlapped perfectly with the figure before her.
The familiar silhouette.
The familiar features.
The familiar eyes.
The familiar aura…
Everything was familiar.
"How… how can this be?"
In the next moment, her gaze began to tremble. The girl covered her mouth as her vision rapidly blurred.
She could not possibly mistake the young man before her. The figure engraved deep within her heart was something no one could imitate.
Ganyu was absolutely certain—he was the person she had missed for a full five hundred years.
All the grievances, sorrow, and confusion buried in the past surged forth in an instant, intertwining and turning into tears that streamed down her beautiful, heart-wrenching face.
"Teacher… is it really you?"
Though she had countless words she wanted to say, in the end she could only ask a single question in a trembling voice.
Even though she was sure it could be no one else, deep down she still feared this was merely an illusion—afraid that if she blinked, he would disappear once again.
The sudden reunion left her completely unprepared.
Seeing Ganyu suddenly burst into tears, Keqing—who had been about to greet her—was startled. She had never seen this seemingly delicate yet incredibly resilient secretary cry before, not even complain.
Yet seeing her in such distress now, even Keqing felt an inexplicable sense of pity.
But why was she crying all of a sudden?
That doubt had barely formed when the young man beside her spoke.
"It's been a long time, Ganyu."
No longer calm and casual as before, Luo Li's voice carried complexity and unspoken tenderness.
Though he had anticipated this, seeing the girl's grievance and sorrow in person still made him sigh.
"It really is you, Teacher?!"
The instant she received confirmation, Ganyu could no longer suppress the overwhelming emotions in her heart. She lunged forward and threw herself into his arms, sobbing as she held him tightly.
As if afraid he might drift away again—or worried this was nothing but a dream.
She held him exceptionally tightly, almost as if she wanted to melt into him.
Luo Li said nothing. One arm wrapped around her waist while the other gently rested on her head, softly stroking her light-blue hair.
"I'm sorry… it took me so long to come see you."
Ganyu did not answer. She simply buried her face deeper into his chest, the only sound being her muffled sobbing.
Luo Li did his best to comfort her.
All along, he had treated Venti as the standard example of someone learning the truth that he was still alive—assuming everyone would react with joy.
He never expected that that carefree fellow was so utterly different from Ganyu, who had once been a crybaby little girl.
Meanwhile, Keqing stood nearby, completely dumbfounded.
"What… what is going on here?!"
She was utterly stunned, never expecting the situation to take such an unbelievable turn.
From the looks of it, Luo Li—whom she had only just met—clearly knew Lady Ganyu from long ago.
And that word—teacher.
Others might not understand, but Keqing knew Ganyu's identity: a half-adeptus qilin who had signed a contract with the Geo Archon two to three thousand years ago.
To be the teacher of such a being—his identity was clearly extraordinary, and the implications were terrifying upon deeper thought.
At the same time, Keqing finally understood why he could answer all her questions so effortlessly—his vast knowledge seeming almost omniscient.
After a long while, once she had finally calmed down and noticed Ganyu's sobs growing quieter, Keqing lowered her voice and asked,
"Um… what exactly is the relationship between you two?"
She wanted to know the reason behind all this.
Faced with her question, Luo Li gave a wry smile. Instead of telling the full truth, he answered lightly,
"I disappeared for five hundred years. Maybe this girl thought I had already died."
Disappeared for five hundred years?
Keqing frowned slightly, immediately thinking of the catastrophe that had occurred five centuries ago.
After all, for the teacher of an adeptus to vanish without cause had to involve something significant.
"Could it be that you're a Liyue senior who went missing during the Abyss disaster five hundred years ago?"
"Yes—and no."
Luo Li found it hard to explain. Calling him a Liyue senior was not entirely wrong, and he had indeed gone missing during the Abyss disaster—but putting the two together wasn't quite accurate.
After answering Keqing's question, he looked back down at Ganyu, who was still burying her face in his chest.
"Alright, if you don't get up soon, you'll soak my clothes. After all this time, how are you still that crybaby little girl?"
The teasing tone finally made Ganyu lift her head.
Her eyes were still misty with tears, the corners red and swollen. Her body remained pressed tightly against him, completely unwilling to let go.
After five hundred years of longing, it was impossible to let go so easily.
Luo Li carefully looked her over and gently wiped away the smeared tear marks on her face.
Throughout this, Keqing waited patiently. The curiosity swirling in her heart had long surpassed any concern for work.
After a long while—only once her sorrow had fully poured out—did Ganyu reluctantly pull away from Luo Li, though her eyes still carried a pitiful trace of grievance.
Luo Li chuckled softly and said gently, "Don't you still have official business? Explain things clearly to Keqing first. I'll wait right here. After that, anything you want to ask—I'll tell you everything."
That promise finally helped Ganyu regain some composure.
She had come for work, after all. She had simply been too shaken by Luo Li's sudden 'return from the dead,' which had cost them so much time.
Sniffing softly, Ganyu took a deep breath and once more became the strong, reliable secretary everyone trusted.
The only person capable of breaking her composure like this… was probably Luo Li alone.
Watching this, Keqing thought so silently.