Outside the Lawrence Estate, a thoroughly bewildered Venti looked at the main gate, then at Su Bai who had brought him here, and exclaimed in a hushed tone,
"This is the 'nice place for a drink' you found? The Lawrences will surely chase us out."
Seeing Su Bai remain silent, Venti stroked his chin. Su Bai's inscrutable, lofty expression left Venti somewhat puzzled. Remembering his own past exploits, Venti lowered his voice further.
"Don't tell me you're planning to steal the wine, Su Bai? I'll keep watch for you then, and we can split it fifty-fifty."
"Steal? Venti, don't use your impoverished imagination to gauge my noble character. Today, we walk right in through the front door."
Su Bai shot Venti a look of disdain, straightened his clothes, and—under Venti's utterly confused gaze—promptly kicked the Lawrence family's main gate wide open.
The guards who had been idling were completely dumbfounded by Su Bai's sudden action. What in the world? Someone's actually causing trouble at the Lawrence clan's doorstep?
Ignoring the hostile guards closing in, Su Bai imitated Zhongli's manner, clasping his hands behind his back and striding towards the tallest building. Seeing Su Bai getting farther away, Venti hurriedly caught up.
"That was quite the move, Su Bai! Those guards were completely stunned. I'll have to use that trick next time I come for wine. Won't have to waste time hiding from them then."
Venti gave Su Bai a thumbs-up. Su Bai pretended to scoff disdainfully, his arrogant demeanor practically indistinguishable from that of a Lawrence clan member.
"This is nothing. Venti, today you just drink to your heart's content. As long as it doesn't kill you, drink until you drop."
"And remember to pick the expensive stuff. Don't just fill up on cheap apple wine and pass out."
Venti chuckled. He had never received such a generous invitation before. Looks like the Lawrence clan's wine collection is in for a rough day.
"Su Bai? What are you doing here? Are you looking for me?"
"Eula? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be...?"
Eula's sudden appearance directly disrupted Su Bai's plan. He had been under the impression that Eula had been placed under house arrest by the Lawrence clan. But looking at her now, she seemed perfectly fine.
"Come on, this isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere else."
"Hey, hey, what about my wine?!"
Watching as Eula pulled Su Bai away, Venti sighed regretfully. Looks like the drinking feast is off for today. But maybe there'd be another chance in a few days.
Venti glanced at the middle-aged man with a livid face standing by a window not far away, and his mood improved somewhat. As long as Su Bai remains in Mondstadt, the Lawrence clan won't abandon their ambitions. That means my feast of wine is still on the table.
---
Good Hunter Restaurant
"Pfft— hahaha! I'm dying, Su Bai. I never thought a sly fox like you could get tricked."
Eula was teasing Su Bai about his naivete. So this was how it felt to have someone worry about her? It felt really nice. A warm feeling blossomed in Eula's heart. Su Bai, sitting beside her, looked quite glum as he held the complimentary tea Sara had brought over.
"Eula looks so lovely when she smiles. She should smile more often. Staying stern all the time might cause premature wrinkles, you know."
Su Bai took a sip of tea, imitating Zhongli's manner from his memory. Hiss— Damn it! This tea is scalding hot! He almost burned a blister on his tongue.
"How dare you say I'm getting old? I'll remember this grudge."
Eula's smile faded, not because Su Bai's words had embarrassed her, but because she noticed some individuals who usually harbored hostility towards her approaching Su Bai.
"Excuse me, sir, are you from another nation?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm from Liyue. Is there something you need? If not, please don't disturb this lovely lady and me during our dinner."
The hatred in these people's eyes as they looked at Eula filled Su Bai with disgust. Upon hearing Su Bai was a foreigner, they immediately began badmouthing Eula right in front of her.
Things like 'The Lawrence clan is an evil clan,' 'The Lawrences are sinners of Mondstadt,' 'All members of the Lawrence clan should atone to Mondstadt,' and so on were spoken directly to Eula's face. Eula bit her lip. Causing so much trouble for Su Bai because of her made her feel awful.
Su Bai remained silent the entire time these people were speaking. Only after they had finished did he lift his head to look at the group.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're done talking, then get lost. Don't disturb my meal."
"I find it really strange. Why does Mondstadt have so many busybodies? Can't you people even tell good from bad?"
"All of you, get lost. Maybe you don't want to dine with a beautiful lady, but I certainly do."
Seeing the Electro energy swirling around Su Bai, the gossip-mongers quickly scattered. If Su Bai were a Mondstadt local, they might not have been so afraid. But Su Bai wasn't local. If they got electrocuted to death and Su Bai just ran off, they'd have no one to cry to.
"You... why didn't you try to explain to them like others do? Amber always explains things for me. I'll remember this grudge."
Seeing Su Bai stand up for her and chase away these appetite-spoiling individuals, Eula felt deeply grateful. But would our tsundere Spindrift Knight say it out loud? Absolutely not.
"It's really nothing. Rather than explaining and subjecting you to a second round of hurt, it's better to just chase them away."
"Prejudice in people's hearts is like a massive mountain. I'm not like the Foolish Old Man from Liyue's myths; I really don't have much confidence in moving that mountain."
"Rather than wasting my breath trying to explain away prejudices passed down for generations, it's easier to just... not bother. A simple 'yeah, yeah, yeah' does the trick."
Hearing Su Bai's explanation, Eula thought it made sense. Every time Amber explained, those people would still retort with many unpleasant words, and her mood wouldn't improve either. Now, just driving those people away directly felt much more satisfying.
"So, Eula, have you considered coming to Liyue? Standard office hours, social security and housing fund, weekends off, plus holidays."
"You actually dare to poach me right in front of so many people? I'll remember this grudge."
This invitation was rather spur-of-the-moment from Su Bai. Facing all these pointing fingers and whispers, Su Bai felt it was rather unfair to Eula.
"Atonement... how difficult it is. These people with heads full of nothing but air wouldn't remember your good deeds even if you spelled it out for them. A pack of ungrateful wretches."
(A/N: When I did Eula's story quest, I was really puzzled. Don't the people of Mondstadt City know that Eula has been protecting them all along? Is it really like what Shen Gongbao said—'Prejudice in people's hearts is a massive mountain. No matter how hard you try, you can never move it'?)
As he spoke, Eula wasn't the one getting angry—Su Bai was. In Liyue, they valued repaying kindness, righteousness, and chivalry. Every citizen of Liyue held great respect for the Millelith. Even merchants with the greatest influence wouldn't dare act presumptuously before them.
The more Su Bai thought about it, the angrier he got, to the point he couldn't even eat. Looking at the people around, still pointing and whispering about Eula—wasn't this just bullying someone honest? Su Bai slammed the chopsticks he carried with him onto the table. If he didn't speak his mind, he wouldn't feel relieved.
"Um, Su Bai, you really don't have to go this far for me. I can learn your 'yeah, yeah, yeah' tactic..."
Eula tried to stand up to stop Su Bai, but he pressed her back down with one hand. His previous indifference was just his attitude towards these Mondstadters. Now, he wanted to win some respect for Eula. This was just too much bullying.
"Listen up, you pack of ungrateful wretches! Back when the Lawrence clan committed their crimes, you resenting them wasn't wrong."
"But now? You're taking your hatred for the Lawrence clan and directing it at a knight who protects you. Not only do you target her at every turn, you constantly mock her. As people under her protection, don't your consciences ache?"
"Oh, right. I forgot. Ungrateful wretches like you don't have consciences. In Liyue, if anyone dared treat the Millelith like this, I'd be the first to cut them down."
"You lot should be thankful you live in Mondstadt. If you lived in Liyue and acted like this, even the Sandbearer Trees would go extinct."
(Sandbearer wood does not rot for a century; it's likely used for making coffins.)
"I don't care about other members of the Lawrence clan. But your attitude towards Eula is something even a Liyue native like me can't stand!"
Having vented all his pent-up frustration, Su Bai let out a long breath. Now he only felt one word—satisfied. But when he turned to pull Eula away from this unpleasant place, he found her eyes already brimming with tears.
Su Bai shot a fierce glare at the onlookers, then took Eula's hand and vanished from the Good Hunter restaurant using adeptal arts. Sara, watching the somewhat clamorous crowd outside the restaurant, sighed quietly in her heart for Eula.
(A/N: The more I write, the more I feel it's unfair for Eula. If Eula were born into a different family, or as a commoner, the people of Mondstadt definitely wouldn't treat her like they do in the game. When I met Eula during the bartending event, I truly felt heartache for this young woman.)