Lin Mo was in a real bind right now!
He was absolutely certain of it.
Hu Tao hadn't fully recognized him yet.
Her approach now was just to confirm his identity—to test if he had any connection to the Lin Mo from her dream memories.
But testing was one thing.
What the hell was this madness?
To actually try feeding him by hand, right in front of everyone.
Something like that only happened in his previous life, when he was too old and frail to eat on his own!
What Lin Mo didn't know was this:
A woman's possessiveness runs deep.
Even animals mark their territory with a quick splash when rivals show up.
For Hu Tao, a woman driven by that fire, this gentle act of feeding him was just child's play in the game of staking her claim!
Until she was sure Mode·Ganqing had nothing to do with Lin Mo, she couldn't bear to watch him become someone else's man.
At this moment, Lin Mo didn't even need to turn around.
He could already feel the chill radiating from Rosalyn's piercing gaze.
How could he let Hu Tao actually feed him?
"Here, Hall Master Hu, I can eat it myself."
Lin Mo hurriedly caught the morsel Hu Tao had picked up in his bowl.
He figured that as long as Hu Tao wasn't feeding him directly, Rosalyn wouldn't blow up.
But the moment he reached for his chopsticks to snag some boiled fish with shrimp dumplings from the bowl—
"Hmph~?"
Rosalyn's dismissive snort froze his hand mid-air.
Holy crap!
Even if she's not feeding me, you're mad that I'm eating what she picked for me?
Right then!
It hit Lin Mo—someone who could take this wave of affection for him!
No—someone? A fox!
Lin Mo immediately ducked his head to his collar.
There, the fluffy pink fox was glaring up at him from his chest.
"Yae Sakura, you're starving, aren't you?"
"Come on, come on! This is the delicious boiled fish with dumplings~"
Without giving the little fox a second to think, Lin Mo scooped her onto the table.
He picked up his chopsticks, loaded them with boiled fish and a dumpling, and brought them right to the fox ears of the Divine Priestess.
"Come on, little cutie, open wide~"
...
Yae Miko had no intention of playing along with this playboy carrot.
It had only been a few days since they met, and he already had a harem of admirers.
But seeing Lin Mo's gentle expression as he brought the food to her mouth now...
It dragged her back to that rainy night years ago.
That day, when Lin Mo had picked her up—it was almost exactly like this scene.
Thinking of the endless tenderness Sasayuri had shown her back then, Yae Miko decided Lin Mo's womanizing ways didn't matter anymore.
She parted her lips slightly and took the bite he offered.
"Aww, she's so well-behaved!"
Hu Tao, who'd been watching from the side, finally couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Where'd you find this little fox?"
"A pink fox..."
Rosalyn's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Across the whole continent of Teyvat, wasn't there only one pink kitsune like that?
Rosalyn was just suspicious.
But Zhongli, the Archon in their midst, saw right through Yae Miko's disguise at a glance.
Inazuma's kitsune...
Zhongli murmured the thought in his mind.
Legend had it that the Shogun's great general of the Tenryou Commission had once rescued a fox kit with unusual coloring.
That kit grew into a familiar whose power rivaled the gods, a guardian of Inazuma's lands.
Now, seeing Yae Miko so obediently eating under Lin Mo's gentle strokes, Zhongli began to form his guesses about the man's past.
No matter what role he'd played, Zhongli was convinced: Lin Mo had lived a cycle of reincarnation in Inazuma once, too.
"Her name's Yae Sakura—pretty, right? And so good~"
Lin Mo cooed, petting her ears adoringly as he said, "I found her a few days ago in the mountains. She was all curled up, half-buried in the snow."
"The mountains?"
Rosalyn perked up at those words.
They tied right into the reason for their trip.
She turned to Lin Mo. "Since you just left the mountains not long ago, have you heard... about Durin awakening?"
"Uh... I've caught wind of it, yeah. What's up?"
Lin Mo's face twisted awkwardly as he played dumb.
"About Durin's awakening..."
Rosalyn started, but before she could finish—
"Oh, him!"
Lin Mo jumped in quick: "Word is, he's broken free from Rhinedottir's control. He's not the mindless dragon he used to be."
"Now he's the Star-Silver Dragon Durin, Mondstadt's fifth guardian, watching over the southeastern mountains."
As he spoke, Lin Mo glanced at her with a smile. "I think you mentioned before—wanting to ask Mr. Zhongli's old friends to team up and take down the dragon, right?"
"Yeah, actually, if it's an army of them..."
"That's all in the past."
Lin Mo cut her off. "He went berserk back then because Rhinedottir twisted him."
"But now that he's Mondstadt's guardian dragon..."
"Going after him would be like declaring war on Mondstadt."
"Rosalyn, maybe just let it go."
Lin Mo advised her earnestly, his tone heavy with concern.
He figured laying it out like that would finally get her to drop the revenge plot.
Rosalyn's eyes flickered, words bubbling up on her lips.
A spark of vengeful fire still lingered.
"Why are you so hung up on revenge?"
Hu Tao piped up, clearly annoyed. "You're chasing after Mode·Ganqing, but you're still hung up on your ex? You have serious issues!"
"I..."
Rosalyn opened her mouth to explain.
That the "Mode·Ganqing" Hu Tao mentioned was actually her long-lost lover, Eliphas Rusty.
But in that instant, it clicked for her.
Her Rusty was still here—right by her side.
So why risk her life hunting a dragon?
Even if she won, she'd be hunted by Mondstadt, branded an enemy of the man she loved. Was it worth it?
"I... I get it."
Rosalyn let go of her vendetta for good.
She turned to Zhongli with a faint smile. "Mr. Zhongli, sorry to waste your time."
"No matter. You've come to your senses—that's what counts."
Zhongli replied calmly.
Only then did Rosalyn notice: the food pinched between Zhongli's chopsticks, even the soup in his bowl, had all frozen solid into ice.
The rest of the meal passed in warm harmony.
Rosalyn didn't let her icy elemental power slip even once from Hu Tao's teasing.
Because every time Hu Tao picked a dish for Lin Mo, he'd pass the "affection" off to the pink little fox.
But when Rosalyn picked something for him herself?
Lin Mo took it all—straight into his mouth, every last bite!
Hu Tao watched from the side, fuming.
"You better pray I never figure out you're the Lin Mo from my dreams!"
"Or you're done for—life sentence!"
After the feast, the group stepped out of the Liuli Pavilion.
Liyue was bathed in moonlight now, lanterns flickering like stars in the bustling night—its most vibrant hour.
"I've reserved a spot at the teahouse for some storytelling. Care to join?"
Zhongli asked mildly.
"Eh... I'll pass. Got something to handle later."
Lin Mo declined politely.
He still needed to track down Keqing.
This meal had eaten up so much time— she was probably pissed by now.
"Fair enough. Plenty of time ahead. We'll catch up soon."
Zhongli nodded and took his leave first.
"Hey~!"
That's when Gu Yu elbowed Lin Mo's side—wait, no, Hu Tao did, her plum-blossom eyes sparkling with hope as she invited him: "I've got to head back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to tally today's accounts. Wanna come over for some tea?"
"I've got stuff to deal with right now. Next time?"
Lin Mo gave a wry smile.
"Next time, next time! How long do I have to wait?!"
Hu Tao pouted, clearly unhappy.
"What my dear means is—there won't be a next time~"
Rosalyn fanned the flames right away.
"Like hell you decide!"
Hu Tao shot back, chin high as she locked eyes with Lin Mo. "You! When's 'next time'?"
"Uh..."
Lin Mo racked his brain.
What was on his plate today?
Super busy!
Heart surgery for Rosalyn.
(Cha-ching.)
Finding Keqing.
Tracking down Eula, Klee, and Amber—they'd gotten separated in Liyue.
"How about tomorrow? Nothing big on my schedule in Liyue. I can swing by for tea."
Lin Mo said with a grin.
"Deal! You promised!"
"Yep, locked in!"
Lin Mo nodded firmly.
Satisfied, Hu Tao sauntered off toward the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Darling, what's the deal between you two?"
Rosalyn finally spoke up.
Her eyes held a clear glint of resentment—demanding an explanation right then and there.
Lin Mo's mind raced for the perfect response.
One that would finally put her at ease.
As his eyes darted around, a few missing person posters caught his eye.
They featured his own portrait.
Lin Mo blinked in surprise.
Who was looking for him?
Following his gaze to the end of the commercial street.
A familiar figure was carefully pasting up more posters with his face on them.
Soft blue curls, a pair of qilin horns atop her head.
A black stockings bodysuit that drew the eye even more in the night.
Lin Mo recognized her instantly.
Ningguang's secretary!
Ganyu!
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T/N:
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