Ningguang paid no attention to the gazes of those around her. The moment she saw Stelle, she immediately rushed forward and embraced him.
The surrounding maids, including Baiwen who followed later, all lowered their heads in perfect understanding.
Taking a deep breath of Stelle's scent, allowing that intoxicating fragrance to fill her entire nasal cavity, Ningguang slowly released Stelle.
Even with just a brief hug, Ningguang still felt much of her recent accumulated fatigue dissipate.
"You're finally here." Ningguang looked up at Stelle, her eyes seemingly trailing after him.
"Mm, sorry, I should have come sooner." Stelle rubbed his head, saying to Ningguang with a hint of embarrassment.
Ningguang had been working so hard these past few days; he should have visited her earlier and offered whatever help he could.
However, after a trip to Tianheng Mountain, many unexpected things happened, so it couldn't be helped.
He wasn't supposed to return so late.
"It's alright, I know you have things you must do." Ningguang shook her head slightly, finally turning her gaze to the white-haired beauty behind Stelle.
"Hello, Miss Shenhe, I am Ningguang, one of the Qixing." Ningguang smiled and greeted Shenhe.
This wasn't their first meeting, but before, they had only briefly exchanged glances from a distance at the Please Immortal Ceremony.
Of course, as an Adeptus disciple, even just a fleeting glance left a very deep impression on Ningguang.
Although Liyue Harbor couldn't be said to lack personnel as much as Mondstadt, Ningguang had always yearned for talent, especially those connected to the Adepti.
And now, the sense of familiarity emanating from Shenhe made Ningguang very certain that if she wanted to cooperate with Shenhe in the future, the other party would likely consider it, if only for Stelle's sake.
"Hello." Shenhe nodded, her tone devoid of any emotion.
Ningguang had already learned some basic information about Shenhe from intelligence, knowing that her emotions were relatively detached, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
However, her secretary behind her looked at Shenhe with a hint of displeasure.
"Alright, let's not stand here. Come inside with me." Ningguang took Stelle's hand and said softly.
"Mm." Stelle nodded, not pulling away.
Anyway, the maids in Qunyu Pavilion had probably already guessed his relationship with Ningguang, and since these maids were all Ningguang's people, and her secretaries were Ningguang's most trusted confidantes, Stelle didn't mind much.
On the way back to the room, Ningguang also told Stelle about the recent situation, including the movements of the Fatui.
"According to the intelligence from Yelan, I think the Fatui are likely the masterminds behind this incident." Ningguang walked to her seat and slowly sat down, looking at Stelle with a somewhat grave expression.
"The Fatui… The one who took Lumine was a Fatui Harbinger. Lumine said that both notifying the Adepti and preparing for Rex Lapis's Please Immortal Ceremony were the Fatui's ideas." Stelle also slowly shared the intelligence he had heard from Lumine with Ningguang.
"I've already sent Ganyu to find Lumine. We'll discuss it in detail later." Ningguang nodded, "The Fatui's movements are currently under our control. I think for now, it's best to respond to all changes with no change."
"But what about you two? Did you gain anything from your trip to the Adeptus's abode?"
"Uh, we gained an Adeptus…"
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In the evening, Stelle, Ningguang, and Shenhe had dinner together at Qunyu Pavilion. Tonight, they were clearly staying there.
Today, Ningguang finally had a rare day off, or to be precise, an afternoon off.
With Stelle by her side, Ningguang finally seemed much more relaxed, at least no longer causing her secretaries and maids so much worry.
Faintly, the atmosphere throughout Qunyu Pavilion seemed to have improved considerably.
And at this moment, on the deck of Qunyu Pavilion, Ningguang, Stelle, and Shenhe were together admiring the starry sky.
Watching the Milky Way here certainly wasn't as breathtaking as seeing it in space, but being tens of thousands of feet high, the view of the stars from Qunyu Pavilion was already quite good.
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