However, while Bai Ge was happily admiring Keqing,
the person being admired was anything but happy.
Under the desk, Keqing's black-silk-clad feet, tucked into her high heels, were restlessly twisting about.
Her ten delicate, rounded toes curled tightly against the soles.
At some point, the steady scratch-scratch of her pen had become intermittent.
Now, she kept lifting the brush and setting it down again, hesitating again and again, as if she wanted to say something—but stopped herself every time.
Because from just a moment ago, Keqing had clearly felt it.
A scorching gaze was resting on her.
At first, it had been just a fleeting glance.
But soon, that gaze became like an annoyingly sticky piece of taffy, clinging stubbornly to her body!
In this world, gazes carried weight.
The stronger the individual, the more sensitive they were to being watched.
At least for Keqing right now, Bai Ge's line of sight felt like a brush.
A mischievous brush, slowly roaming over her sensitive legs and creeping upward—
Legs.
Lower back.
Armpits.
Neck.
Face…
Keqing had never understood the phrase "visual assault" before.
Now she did.
At first, she could still force herself to focus on work.
But under that relentless gaze, her thoughts gradually grew restless.
And it wasn't just her thoughts.
Keqing could feel her breathing turning shallow and hot, wisps of heat rising from within her body and climbing onto her cheeks.
Her pink-violet eyes rippled like water.
The calm lake of her mind wavered, betraying itself through her gaze.
Several times, Keqing wanted to remind Bai Ge—
But each time, she stopped herself at the last second.
Because she was convinced this was intentional.
Bai Ge's strength was close to her own.
How could he not know that powerful individuals were sensitive to being stared at?
Knowing that, yet still using this kind of gaze to tease her…
This had to be his way of expressing dissatisfaction with her dragging him here as her secretary!
He was waiting for her to speak up—
so he could seize the opportunity to demand to leave!
Sure, the method was a little shameless.
But after yesterday, Keqing already understood him.
Bai Ge was exactly the kind of person who had no taboos whatsoever.
Black cat, white cat—any cat that catches mice is a good cat.
Wasn't the reason she promoted him and tied him to her side precisely because she valued this unconventional way of thinking?
So—
If she spoke first, she would lose.
With that realization, Keqing understood.
She would endure it.
Just a bit of staring—that was a price she had to pay.
Taking a deep breath, Keqing forcibly suppressed all her agitation.
She entered a state of absolute focus, ignoring everything else.
Inside the room, the sound of writing resumed.
—
Meanwhile, Bai Ge wasn't thinking anything nearly as complicated.
Having only recently raised his strength, he simply lacked certain kinds of "knowledge."
He was just staring at Keqing with mild confusion.
In fact, Bai Ge noticed Keqing's distraction earlier than she realized it herself.
Her flushed complexion, heavier breathing, sweat sliding down her temples—
She looked like she was enduring something.
Seeing this, Bai Ge formed a guess.
"Could it be… Keqing's 'that time' has come?"
This was the only explanation the steel-straight Bai Ge could come up with.
He reached for the water bottle—only to find that the water inside had gone cold.
Instantly, everything made sense to him.
"Drinking cold water every day, dressing so lightly, not paying attention to keeping warm… no wonder it hurts."
"Well, well. Since you look so pitiful, I'll at least do something a secretary is supposed to do."
Bai Ge picked up the water bottle, left behind a casual remark about going to refill it, and walked out.
As the door closed and his figure disappeared from the crack, Keqing finally let out a long breath.
Only then did she realize that her clothes were already damp with sweat, and even her thin silk-clad legs felt moist to the touch.
But compared to this price, Keqing broke into a smile.
It was worth it.
For someone as lazy as Bai Ge to voluntarily go fetch water—
That meant he had already begun to submit!
This round—
She won.
Fortunately, Keqing had no idea what Bai Ge was actually thinking.
Otherwise, the scene of Lion's Roar being drawn might have repeated itself right then and there.
—
Keqing believed she had secured an initial victory.
But when Bai Ge returned and poured her the water—
That gaze came back again.
And this time, it was even more unrestrained. Even more blatant.
Suddenly, Keqing understood.
So going out to fetch water wasn't surrender at all—
It was a tactic to break her rhythm!
Damn it!
Was this all part of your calculations, Bai Ge?!
I will not yield!
The resolute Yuheng Star clenched her teeth.
Yet her tightly bitten lip and deeply flushed cheeks only reinforced Bai Ge's misunderstanding.
"Just as I thought… Keqing's really having it rough. It hurts this badly and she's still forcing herself to work? What if something serious happens?"
With that thought in mind, Bai Ge's gaze grew even more concerned.
He resolved to keep a close watch on her condition.
And under these circumstances, Keqing's suffering only intensified.
Involuntarily, she glanced at the clock.
"Damn it… between noon and Ganyu, who's coming first?!"
The Yuheng Star let out a silent wail of despair.