"Bai Ge, stay a little longer, okay~?"
With her cheeks puffed out, Ganyu spoke in a soft, coquettish voice.
The flustered little qilin instinctively slipped into a spoiled tone—
that sweet, melt-in-your-ear voice paired with her flawless, blushing face made Bai Ge feel numb all over.
"—Gasp!"
Seeing Ganyu like this, Bai Ge sucked in a sharp breath.
Then he let out a bitter smile.
"Lady Ganyu, please have some mercy on me. I'm just an ordinary human—I've already been talking nonstop all afternoon…"
Bai Ge begged helplessly.
A beautiful woman like Ganyu looking at you with sparkling eyes full of admiration was undeniably satisfying,
but Bai Ge had no intention of falling into her trap.
This woman's gentle appearance was just camouflage.
She wanted to squeeze him dry—utterly terrifying, alright?!
And that spoiled voice…
If he didn't leave now, he felt like he'd never be able to leave at all.
A sexy qilin—
a qilin whose "black slime" stats had clearly been buffed—
acting cute right in front of him.
Who could possibly withstand that?!
"But these policies concern the welfare of all the people of Liyue.
How can you just get off work now?"
Ganyu asked, her face flushed red.
After a moment, she realized just how embarrassing her earlier behavior had been.
But when it came to matters of Liyue, Ganyu would not back down.
"No, no, no—Liyue's people aren't just 'others.' I'm also one of Liyue's people!"
"You can't sacrifice this member of Liyue's populace to death just for the sake of the rest, right?"
"Tomorrow! We'll continue tomorrow!"
Bai Ge waved his hands decisively.
"..."
Seeing his resolute expression, even the usually cool and composed Ganyu frowned slightly, at a loss for words.
She planted her hands on her hips, her fair cheeks puffed up like little buns, staring at Bai Ge in frustration.
But no matter how much she wanted him to stay,
she really didn't have any concrete way to force it.
She couldn't exactly fire an ice arrow at his legs to freeze him in place, could she?
Celestial Shower?!
So instead—
Stare—
With puffed cheeks, a flushed face, and eyes full of pleading guilt-inducing innocence,
the adorable little qilin stared straight at Bai Ge.
Faced with this, Bai Ge's scalp tingled, his whole body feeling uncomfortable.
Now he finally understood what it meant for a gaze to have power.
"I'm going—really going!"
Bai Ge raised a hand to block his view, not daring to look at Ganyu's cute expression any longer.
This was exactly why he wasn't that into Keqing's type.
Could Keqing ever do something like this?
Of course, that said, Bai Ge would actually rather it be Keqing in front of him right now.
At least with her, leaving work would be much more straightforward.
"..."
Her heartfelt plea met with a heart of iron.
Watching Bai Ge like this, Ganyu's gaze grew even more resentful.
How did people usually beg again?
Wanting Bai Ge to stay, Ganyu searched her memories.
She recalled how she used to act spoiled when she was young—and inspiration struck.
It was a little embarrassing… but this was all for the people of Liyue!
That's right—this was for the people of Liyue!
With that thought, Ganyu's face reddened as she gently bit her pearly lower lip.
Then she reached out, lightly tugging on Bai Ge's sleeve, slowly shaking it.
From her lips came a soft, wavering voice she could hardly believe belonged to herself:
"Bai~ Ge~~
Just stay a little longer… okay~~?"
The seductive qilin went all out—
just one step short of outright saying I can give you coconut milk.
Seeing Ganyu like this, wage-slave Bai Ge could only think:
I've seen everything in life, you know?
No—
this, he had absolutely not seen before.
Ganyu's attack was completely overpowered.
For a moment, his resolve wavered violently.
Thankfully, her excessive offense triggered a "too much is as bad as too little" effect.
Knowing he absolutely could not stay any longer, Bai Ge hardened his heart, shook off Ganyu's hand, and bolted on the spot.
Left behind was Ganyu, standing silently where she was, watching Bai Ge leave with an utterly resentful gaze—
like a stone statue waiting for her husband.
Bai Ge's retreating figure seemed to magnetically draw Ganyu's eyes.
With an archer's exceptional eyesight, she could still lock onto his silhouette long after he had gone far away.
Only after Bai Ge's figure completely disappeared did Ganyu finally look away.
Fwoosh—
Thinking back to how she had just acted like a lovestruck fool,
Ganyu's fair face boiled like hot water, wisps of white steam practically rising from her horns.
"What… is wrong with me?"
Ganyu clutched her rapidly pounding chest, unable to understand her own feelings.
Over these thousands of years, she had felt nervous from work she couldn't adapt to,
and flustered under pressure—
But never had she lost her composure like she did today.
The emotions surging within her… what were they?
Ganyu tried to examine her own heart,
but after millennia of having a mind as clear and cool as jade and ice, she simply didn't know.
So she circulated her elemental energy,
the cold Cryo power calming her down.
"Huu—"
After regaining her composure, Ganyu let out a long breath.
"It's fine… it's just one night."
She murmured to herself.
For an adeptus like her,
one night in her long life was not even worth a blink.
One night—
She could wait.