"Yanfei, what are you doing here?" Keqing was genuinely surprised to see her.
They worked together often enough and could be considered friends, but Keqing couldn't figure out how Yanfei had heard she was injured. Had Ganyu mentioned it?
"I ran into Ganyu on the way," Yanfei said. "So I came along to check on you."
She took one look at Keqing's pale face and immediately frowned with concern. In Yanfei's memory, Keqing was always bursting with energy—either running around handling urgent matters or throwing herself into work.
But lately, Keqing had basically vanished. She wasn't going to the Ministry, wasn't going out—just staying home day after day.
Of course Yanfei was curious what was going on.
"Ah… I-I'm fine," Keqing said quickly, shaking her head. "Ganyu's already helping me."
Then she lowered her voice. "I heard you two talking about something earlier. What happened?"
"Well…" Ganyu hesitated. "It's hard to explain. It's… bizarre."
"What is it?" Keqing looked at Yanfei.
Yanfei's expression darkened the moment she remembered. "You probably won't believe this, but… yesterday, a pair of eyes was spying on me while I was bathing."
Just saying it made her angry again.
She'd almost caught them. But those eyes fled ridiculously fast. Even after she gathered adeptal energy, she still came up short—and at the worst possible moment, someone got in her way. Otherwise, she would've grabbed those eyes for sure.
Afterward, she realized how wrong it all felt.
If it had been a person, she wouldn't have let them off. Not even close.
But it wasn't a person.
It was just… eyes.
No body. No face. Nothing else. That was what made it so unsettling.
That was why she'd mentioned it to Ganyu—she wanted to know if Ganyu had ever heard of something like this.
"What? Someone peeped on you?" Keqing's face changed instantly. "That's unforgivable. I'll have Ryou bring people to help you catch them—"
"Keqing," Ganyu cut in with a small cough, "you missed the main point."
"She said it was a pair of eyes. Not a person."
Even Ganyu had found it strange, but Yanfei looked dead serious. That was when Ganyu understood how abnormal it really was.
And even if you did want to "catch" them…
How?
It was just eyes. They didn't even know who the eyes belonged to.
"A pair of eyes… not a person?" Keqing froze, stunned. "Th-that…"
Eyes running around to spy on someone bathing?
It sounded insane.
But Yanfei's expression was too serious to dismiss.
"So what are you going to do?" Keqing asked.
Yanfei's eyes narrowed. "I'm asking my grandma to investigate. I'm not letting this go."
Then she remembered where she was and quickly softened. "Sorry. I got a little worked up."
"It's fine," Keqing said.
"Oh—right. You remember when Ryou asked me to help him write a letter to my friend?" Yanfei said, shifting to business. "I got a reply."
"They agreed—and they said they already left yesterday. If everything goes smoothly, they'll reach Liyue tonight, or tomorrow at the latest."
"I'll have people keep an eye out. Once they arrive, I'll come tell you."
"Thank you, Yanfei," Keqing said sincerely.
"Don't be so formal. We're friends," Yanfei replied. "You've helped me plenty too."
She paused, then added, "Hold out your hand."
"Hm?" Keqing did, confused. "Why?"
"I know a bit of medicine," Yanfei said. "Let me check you. Staying cooped up at home like this isn't good."
She took Keqing's pulse.
Then she blanked.
Yanfei scratched her head, wondering if she'd made a mistake.
"…Did I read this wrong?" she muttered. "Why does it feel like you've got kidney depletion? That's something you usually see in men."
"Ah… I-I…" Keqing's face went burning hot. She immediately buried her face in Ganyu's chest.
Ganyu coughed. "Yanfei… I'll handle her treatment."
"Oh—oh!" Yanfei finally caught up, eyes wide with disbelief.
How intense did Ryou have to be to push Keqing into that state?
No wonder she never went out anymore. No wonder she'd stopped showing up at work.
"Keqing, I'm back!" Ryou strode into the room.
The moment he saw who was inside, he paused—especially when his eyes landed on Yanfei. His expression went slightly strange.
Because the second he saw her, that scene flashed through his mind again. The image was… far too vivid.
Yanfei noticed him staring and immediately tensed. "Why are you looking at me like that? I… did you hear something?"
Ryou coughed. "N-no. It's nothing."
"Ryou," Keqing said quickly from where she was still tucked against Ganyu, "take Yanfei outside for a moment. She needs to talk to you."
"Oh." Ryou nodded.
He led Yanfei into the courtyard, poured her a cup of tea, and asked politely, "Yanfei, what did you need me for?"
"I do," Yanfei said. "It's like this…"
She explained the situation, then hesitated.
"Ryou… there's something I'm not sure I should say."
Ryou's heart jumped. Don't tell me she figured it out.
He coughed. "Then don't."
"…Huh?" Yanfei blinked, mid-sentence, and looked up at him.
Ryou cleared his throat again. "I'm joking."
Yanfei's cheeks heated up anyway. "Right… so. I checked Keqing's pulse just now. Don't worry, it's not anything irreversible, but she's seriously depleted."
She forced herself through the words. "You two… that. Can you rein it in a little? If this goes on long-term, it's going to hurt her."
Ryou nearly choked.
Lately he'd been getting pulled around by temptation, and yes—he'd bullied Keqing more than usual.
But still…
He coughed and nodded solemnly. "Thanks for the warning. I'll be more careful."
Then he pushed a packet toward her. "Here. Some tea leaves. Just a small token—please take it."
"Oh, you don't need to—" Yanfei started to refuse, then paused as she sensed the aura coming off it.
"…Wait. Isn't this normal tea? Why does it feel like adepti tea? The spiritual energy is so dense."
Her refusal died in her throat.
And her grandma did love tea…
Maybe she should accept it.
"If you like it, take it," Ryou said, nudging it closer.
And as if burned, he forcibly shoved yesterday's images out of his head.
Yanfei still looked uneasy. "Ryou… your expression feels off."
"I-I shouldn't have said that, but I'm Keqing's friend. I had to remind you." She rushed on, trying to justify herself. "And honestly, even you can't keep this up forever."
She paused, then blurted, "Can I check your pulse too?"
She clearly thought he was mad at her.
"Sure," Ryou said, holding out his hand.
Yanfei took his pulse.
A second later, she stiffened.
His condition was… absurd.
Not just healthy—almost unnaturally so.
What is this?
"He's fine," Keqing said, walking out just then. She'd seen what Yanfei was doing and could guess what she was thinking.
Yanfei coughed, flustered. "I… right. Then I won't disturb you any longer."
"Take care," Ryou said.
After Yanfei left, Ryou poured tea for Keqing and Ganyu.
"Ningguang invited us to the Jade Chamber today," he said. "She probably wants to talk."
He looked at Ganyu. "You're coming too. She didn't exactly hold back when she complained about me because of you."
"Huh? This is about me?" Ganyu asked, baffled.
She and Ningguang got along well. There shouldn't be any conflict… unless it was—
"The paperwork?" she asked, hand on her chin.
"Yeah." Ryou took a sip, then set the cup down. "She told me to pay attention next time and not drag you off after work."
"She wants you helping her more."
"Oh, that's what this is," Ganyu said.
She sighed. "Ningguang really is overloaded. She's got a mountain of work."
"She has secretaries, but most of them are… average. They can't lighten her burden much."
Ryou waved it off. "That's just how she is."
Keqing snorted, taking a sip of tea. "She's paranoid. She wants her hands on everything."
"Outside of Baiwen and Baishi, she trusts almost nobody."
Keqing's tone turned sharper. "Honestly, that's on her. I used to think doing everything yourself was best too."
"But recently I've realized you have to delegate. She should learn from you."
"Yes," Ganyu agreed, nodding.
"You two really know her," Ryou said with a laugh.
Keqing scoffed. "I've been butting heads with her for years. Of course I know her."
"And she's weirdly childish sometimes," Keqing added, clearly enjoying the complaint. "She collects Rex Lapis figures—and she loves throwing Mora around to force-buy them."
Ganyu coughed. "Keqing… you used to do that too."
"Nonsense!" Keqing snapped, cheeks flushing. "Who would like something like that?"
That was before.
Now? She didn't like them at all.
And with what she knew about Rex Lapis now… her image of the "Exalted" Archon had completely collapsed. She couldn't even look at it the same way anymore.
Yeah. No more figurines.
If Ningguang wanted them, she could have them.
Ganyu rolled her eyes.
Back then, Keqing had literally fought Ningguang over it—accusing her of bullying her way through with triple the Mora, and even threatening to drag the shop owner in for selling "Keqing's reservation" to someone else.
Now Keqing was pretending it had never happened.
Ganyu didn't even know what to say.
Ryou just smiled into his tea.
He knew Keqing had liked those things too—until he told her Zhongli was Rex Lapis. After that, she couldn't stand it anymore, so the obsession vanished overnight.
"Why are you both looking at me like that?" Keqing protested, annoyed.
"It's the truth!" she insisted. "I'm being honest."
Ryou took another sip, then coughed lightly. "Alright, enough. Let's head out."
"I need to stop by Wanmin Restaurant. We still haven't paid yesterday's Mora."
"Okay," Keqing said, nodding.
Ryou took Keqing and Ganyu to Wanmin Restaurant.
Business was booming inside, but someone was standing at the kitchen entrance, rambling nonstop. Xiangling stood beside him with a hand to her forehead, looking like she was about to collapse.
Tabibito watched with obvious interest, and Paimon rubbed her hands together, grinning.
"What's going on?" Keqing asked quietly.
"That's…" Ganyu started, recognizing the figure.
Ryou recognized him too, and the pieces clicked into place.
So the one who'd "rescued" Zhongli last night—and called him "old man"—was probably Venti.
Ryou just hadn't expected Venti to run all the way from Mondstadt to Liyue… and then camp out at Wanmin Restaurant to harass Chef Mao.
And if Ryou had to guess?
It was absolutely because of that bottle of wine.
"Let's go see," Ryou said.
As they got closer, Xiangling tilted her head toward them like she'd been waiting for someone to intervene.
"Chef Mao, my friend drank your wine and couldn't stop thinking about it," Venti said, leaning in shamelessly. "Do you have any more?"
"I'll pay a high price. Mora isn't an issue!"
Chef Mao looked like he was going to cry. "Customer, I only had that one bottle."
"The Ministry bought it yesterday. I really don't have any left."
Venti had been relentless, and Chef Mao's head was starting to hurt.
And honestly? Chef Mao regretted it so much his heart bled.
He'd smelled that intoxicating aroma yesterday and nearly fainted. That was treasure-tier liquor—gone.
If he'd known, he would've kept it for himself.
Sure, Xiangling didn't like him drinking… but sneaking a little sip now and then wasn't a crime. He could've just hidden it from her.
Now he had nothing.
"Bard," Paimon said with her arms crossed, not buying it for a second, "I don't believe you. And even if he had more, you don't have Mora to buy it."
Tabibito silently agreed.
She'd always thought Venti was an embarrassment as a god.
At least Zhongli carried Mora, worked at the Ministry, and even had two jobs. He looked respectable.
This "Anemo Archon"? A jobless drunk who never worked and never had Mora.
It was pathetic.
Venti turned his head and whispered behind his hand, "You're clueless. I can do what the old man does and just put it on his tab."
[End of chapter]
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