"Keqing-san, Ganyu-san, Ryou-san—you're here!" Xiangling greeted them with a bright smile.
"Xiangling, sorry to trouble you," Keqing said. "The Ministry of Civil Affairs staff will be here a bit later. As for the Mora, just bill it to the Ministry."
"Got it." Xiangling nodded.
"Alright, we'll come back later," Ryou said, glancing inside. Then he took the two of them and headed home first.
When they got back, Ryou immediately spotted his mother waiting.
"Mom? Why are you here?"
"Oh, now you ask?" she snapped. "Your father said you were coming home yesterday, so I cooked a whole table of food. I waited until midnight and you still didn't show!"
"Mom, I—" Ryou tried to explain.
"Don't you 'Mom' me!"
"Okay, okay—ow! Mom, don't hit! I was wrong! This must be karma from a past life!"
Keqing's face went beet-red.
Yesterday, Ryou had coaxed her back with that "let's visit my mother" excuse. The moment they got home, he'd… bullied her into the mattress. And now his mother had shown up in person.
Keqing remembered how wild last night had gotten and felt her whole face go hot.
"Keqing… you didn't go back with him yesterday?" Ganyu asked in a small voice.
Because when Ganyu returned to Yujing Terrace, Ryou's Father had casually asked her about it. She'd answered without thinking—and now, apparently, Ryou hadn't gone home at all.
No wonder his look had been so strange when she ran into him at the Ministry.
"I…" Keqing's ears burned. "It's all Ryou's fault. I believed him when he said we were going to see his mother, and then when we got home he just…"
She couldn't finish. The rest was too embarrassing to say out loud.
"You two, honestly…" Ganyu leaned in and whispered by Keqing's ear, "Didn't I tell you? You should pace yourselves. It's not good for your health."
Her cheek brushed Keqing's face, and Ganyu immediately felt how scorching hot she was.
"Ganyu-nee…" Keqing hugged her back and buried her face against her chest. "Some things aren't exactly something I can just 'decide not to do.'"
"You…" Ganyu didn't even know what to say.
Ryou finally managed to calm his mother down and usher her inside. Then he brought out a pile of fruit, set it on the table, and used [Hand] to infuse it with adeptal energy.
"Mom, have some fruit," he said with an ingratiating smile. "This stuff will help you live longer."
"Fruit?" she glared at him. "I'm too angry to eat."
Then she turned to Ganyu, her tone easing. "Ganyu, sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine," Ganyu said gently. "But he wasn't lying. The fruit really is infused with adeptal energy. If you eat it regularly, it can help with longevity."
Ryou's mother froze, staring at the fruit.
She'd thought Ryou was just trying to sweet-talk her. She didn't expect it to be real.
"Mom, take some home later," Ryou said quickly. "And these tea leaves too—calm your nerves and cool off a bit."
He set down the tea, then added, "Yesterday really couldn't be helped, so I couldn't make it home. Today… well, tomorrow I'll take Keqing back with me."
"No need." her tone softened a little. "You've got real work to do. I'll take the fruit, though. At least you had the sense to prepare something."
She paused, then waved it off. "I just came to check on you. If you're fine, don't fuss."
"Mom, I'll walk you out," Ryou said, supporting her as he stood.
"Mm." She headed for the door.
When they reached the entrance, she glanced back into the house, then turned to him and said, "You and Ganyu…"
"Mom, she's just visiting," Ryou said quickly. "There's nothing going on. Keqing and I are doing great, so don't worry."
She stared at him, then snapped, "Your dad and I are both smart—so how did we end up with a kid as dense as you?"
And with that, she huffed off.
Ryou stood there scratching his head. Things were going fine a second ago. Why was he getting scolded now?
He shook it off and went back inside.
Keqing and Ganyu were sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea.
Ryou dropped into a seat with them.
"What's wrong?" Keqing asked, noticing his expression.
Ryou sighed. "Mom looked at me, called me dense, and said I should… do something about Ganyu."
"Hmph. For once, your mother's right," Keqing said, annoyed. "You really are dense."
Ryou's mother had clearly been trying to ask how far things had gone between him and Ganyu. And whatever Ryou said must've made her misunderstand.
But… Keqing couldn't deny it.
It had been a while now, and she still hadn't managed to get Ryou and Ganyu any closer. The two of them were basically just polite friends—and even that "friendship" only existed because Keqing kept pushing it.
This couldn't go on.
Ryou really was a block of wood. How could he still not get it?
Ganyu saw Keqing looking between her and Ryou and felt her stomach tighten.
We haven't done anything. Why is she so on edge? Even his mother is like that.
Am I being too obvious?
"Keqing, Ryou and I are just normal friends," Ganyu said quickly. "Why are you and your mother both misunderstanding? This—"
"Ganyu-nee," Keqing cut in smoothly, using the moment to say what she really wanted. "My mother just misunderstood. We're best friends—so even if it wasn't a misunderstanding…"
She looked straight at Ganyu.
"Even if something did happen between you two, I'd accept you."
"Ah—n-no, I can't," Ganyu panicked. "You're already married. How could I…"
So this is a test.
If Keqing asked her this months from now, maybe she'd have the confidence to respond differently. But right now? It had only been days.
This was absolutely probing.
If Keqing caught on too early, everything she'd been planning would collapse. And if she ruined her relationship with Keqing, she'd never get another chance.
"Keqing…" Ryou started.
Keqing laughed lightly. "Why are you both so tense? I'm just saying."
But inside, she was frustrated.
These two are almost too decent.
Should I try my mother-in-law's 'suggestion'?
After last time, they're both on guard now. Would it even work?
Keqing didn't feel confident at all. She shook her head, dropped it, and stood up. "I'm going to change. We need to go to Wanmin Restaurant soon."
"Mm." Ryou took a sip of tea.
Ganyu's voice lowered, anxious. "Ryou… Keqing's misunderstanding us. What do we do now?"
Keqing had paused behind the door, listening. Her feelings twisted into something complicated.
Before, she would've been thrilled to hear that.
Now?
Thrilled my foot.
I want you two to end up together. And you're both acting like polite guests. What is this?
I've been setting you up for ages—are you seriously telling me you have no feelings for each other?
Are you two just… too good?
She shook her head and went to change.
Ryou had noticed her, of course. This was exactly where [Eyes] and [Ears] became terrifyingly useful—he'd caught every flicker of her expression.
"Don't panic," he murmured to Ganyu, patting her hand. "Keqing listened in for a bit. She's suspicious."
He lowered his voice further. "I think it's because earlier, when we were in the office and I held you, your scent got on me. So she's connecting dots."
He squeezed her hand gently. "We'll be careful. Slow and steady."
By evening, Ryou brought Keqing and Ganyu to Wanmin Restaurant.
"Ryou-sama!"
"Keqing-sama!"
"Ganyu-sama!"
The greetings came at them from every direction.
Ryou stepped forward and raised a hand. "Relax. Don't get so worked up."
He smiled. "Zhongli-san told me you've all been working hard. This meal is your reward."
He continued, "Four days from now, I'll distribute your Mora. And after that, I'll treat you again."
He gestured toward the kitchen. "Tonight, eat and drink well. If you want something, just order it from Chef Mao. Understood?"
"Yes, Ryou-sama!"
Everyone looked thrilled.
Ryou found a quiet table and sat down. The dishes were already being served.
He tasted a bite, nodded, and said, "Whether it's Chef Mao or Xiangling, their cooking is seriously impressive."
"Keqing, try this," he said.
"Mhm." Keqing took a bite and looked genuinely surprised.
These dishes were on par with Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk—easily.
Ganyu nodded too. "Yeah. It's very good."
Ryou ate with a relaxed smile. At some point, he noticed Lumine and Hu Tao had shown up somehow, and the two of them were sitting at Zhongli's table.
Ryou leaned closer to Keqing.
"What are you doing?" Keqing shot him a look, then picked up a bite of food and fed it to him. "There. Happy now?"
Ryou chuckled. "That's not what I meant. Look at Zhongli's table—do you see what's wrong?"
Keqing and Ganyu turned to look.
At first, nothing seemed off.
Then Keqing's eyes narrowed.
Wait… why is Zhongli's table all women?
And some of the older ladies were practically leaning onto him.
"Zhongli-san is really popular," Ganyu said.
"Popular my foot," Keqing muttered. "It's this troublemaker's fault."
She leaned toward Ganyu and whispered, "Ganyu-nee, let me tell you something. Ryou told the Ministry staff that whoever marries Zhongli gets a house—straight from him."
She made a face. "They're all here for the house."
Then she hesitated, mind drifting. "Although… Zhongli is excellent, so if someone actually could…"
She coughed. "No. Forget it."
"What?" Ganyu asked.
Ryou laughed.
"Stop laughing!" Keqing pinched him—because he was the one who'd told her Zhongli's true identity in the first place.
Ryou caught her hand. "Pinching me while we're eating? Fine. I'll show you how I 'deal with you' later."
"Hmph. All you do is bully me," Keqing said, clearly displeased.
Ganyu watched them flirt back and forth and felt her mood sour.
Could you two at least remember I'm sitting right here?
Sure, she and Ryou had crossed a line already, but there was no way she could do this kind of public teasing. If she did, she was pretty sure Keqing would come after her with Lion's Roar.
Ryou chuckled and stood. "I'm going to check on Zhongli's table."
"Don't." Keqing tugged his sleeve. No matter what, he was still… him.
"It's fine," Ryou said, patting her hand, and walked over.
At that moment, Zhongli was suffering.
This was a nightmare.
The younger girls were one thing, but the older women were shameless. Fine, give him food—whatever. But why were hands wandering onto him?
And whose foot was that under the table?
Why is it sliding up my leg?!
Zhongli regretted coming to dinner at all.
Wouldn't it have been better to rest quietly at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
Why did he let Hu Tao drag him out here "for fun"?
"Hey!" Hu Tao snapped, glaring at Lumine. "Why is your leg rubbing against mine?!"
Lumine rolled her eyes. "Look under the table."
"What?" Hu Tao lowered her head.
Then she saw it.
Her eyes widened. "They're… they're really doing that?!"
"I felt it earlier," Lumine whispered, coughing softly and lowering her voice. "Did you not notice? It's all women around us. They're here for Zhongli."
"Tch." Hu Tao clicked her tongue. "Didn't think he was that popular."
"Popular my foot," Lumine muttered. "I heard if anyone manages to marry him, Ryou's giving them a house."
She leaned closer. "And it's inside Liyue Harbor."
Hu Tao's eyes lit up. "Wait, seriously? Then I need to get in there!"
"There you are," Ryou said as he walked up.
"Eh? Ryou?" Lumine looked surprised.
Hu Tao, on the other hand, immediately looked annoyed.
After all, Ryou had hauled her into the Ministry last time and scared her half to death, threatening and bribing her until she gave in.
Ryou kept smiling. "Director Hu really doesn't like me, huh."
He leaned in a little, voice light but dangerous. "At this rate, I'll have the Ministry keep a close eye on Wangsheng."
"Don't!" Hu Tao grabbed his arm in a panic. "I'll call you Ryou-nii, okay?"
Her voice turned pleading. "If you keep watching us like that, we won't be able to do business!"
"Ryou-nii?" Ryou laughed. "You've got nerve."
He waved it off. "Relax. I'm teasing."
He slipped into an open seat and pulled out a bottle of wine.
"Everyone," he said, holding it up, "this is an excellent vintage my master's been saving for a long time. I had to talk forever to get it."
He grinned. "But today, I'm opening it for you. So make the most of it."
Every woman at the table looked energized.
If they could get Zhongli drunk, wouldn't that mean…
Zhongli's face darkened.
So that's what this is.
You're creating opportunities for them.
He forced a strained smile. "Everyone, eating is fine. Drinking, on the other hand—"
"What kind of dinner has no alcohol?"
"Zhongli-san, we're coworkers. You're not going to refuse us like this, right?"
"We're even willing to drink with you, and you're still dodging. Isn't that a bit rude?"
…
Ryou chuckled and popped the seal.
In an instant, a rich aroma drifted out and drew a lot of attention from nearby tables.
Ryou glanced at the bottle, and the familiar system text appeared.
[Chef Mao's treasured wine!]
[Description: Incredible taste; the hangover can last up to twelve days!]
[Effect 1: Infused with adeptal energy; flavour and aroma greatly enhanced!]
[Effect 2: Extremely easy to get drunk; works on anyone; the stronger the drinker, the stronger the effect!]
Ryou smiled, poured a cup, and slid it straight to Zhongli.
"Zhongli-san," he said, "everyone's already said it. You can't be the only one refusing."
He leaned closer, voice full of mischief.
"Drinking brings people closer. Besides… what's the worst that can happen?"
He glanced around at the women and grinned.
"They're not going to eat you."
Zhongli rolled his eyes internally.
They absolutely can.
And this wine smells incredible, but…
Isn't it a little too strong?!
[End of chapter]
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