Three sentences made Ningguang spend 1.8 billion Mora on me.
"I want you to look closely. Where exactly is my figure inferior to that woman Beidou?"
Before Ningguang could even finish her sentence, she felt that something was wrong. Her original plan was to start with the topic of "Stop seducing Keqing and Ganyu during working hours." Then, she would slowly shift the conversation toward "Why didn't you give me a single piece of clothing?" Finally, she would pivot to the question of "Who has the better figure?"
She didn't understand how someone as experienced in the business world as her could suddenly blurt out such words. In business, one must never reveal their bottom line before achieving their goal. Yet here she was, exposing her true inner thoughts before the negotiations had even begun. It was equivalent to handing her weakness over to the opponent.
Immediately after the words left her mouth, Ningguang began to reflect on why she had exposed her shortcomings so abruptly. She quickly realized the answer. First, this wasn't a marketplace; this was a bedroom. Second, Ye Xi's comment about "Why are we having a meeting in the bedroom?" had completely thrown her heart into disarray.
She found that whenever something involved Ye Xi, she would lose her composure and find it difficult to control her emotions. It reminded her of a saying: when a clever woman's IQ begins to drop because of a man, a "tragedy" is about to be born.
Am I really attracted to him?
While Ningguang frowned in thought, Ye Xi's mind was filled with question marks.
[Did Ningguang really just say that?]
[That was so direct!]
[Even with her competitive nature, is there any need for such a strong reaction in this specific area?]
In Ye Xi's impression, Ningguang was someone who planned everything meticulously and thought twice before speaking. Her previous outburst felt more like something Yae Miko would say. Could it be that in a moment of urgency, her true intentions had slipped out?
"What do you want?" Ye Xi asked tentatively.
Hearing Ye Xi's thoughts and his spoken question, a faint crimson blush appeared on Ningguang's breathtaking face. Competitivenessthat word only described a part of her. She simply had to surpass Beidou in certain aspects. Taking her figure as an example, she absolutely had to be better than Beidou!
Since her true purpose had been exposed, there was no longer a need to waste effort on social maneuvers. Just this once... she would act according to her true desires. However, Ningguang felt that revealing her authentic self was a bit difficult to put into words.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She stood up and took a bottle of wine that had been preserved for many years from a nearby cabinet. She placed it gently in front of Ye Xi, appearing as if she were hesitating to speak. She was debating how to open the conversation, but then she realized she didn't need to consider the consequences.
Thus, she went straight to the point. "I've heard that truth comes after wine. I want to hear you speak the truth, so you drink, and I'll watch."
In reality, she hated it when others drank. Unfortunately, her close friend always seemed to be at odds with her; the more Ningguang hated something, the more Beidou wanted to try it. Today, for the sake of drawing the truth out of Ye Xi, she would make an exception. Besides, if Ye Xi got drunk, he might not even remember what she said.
Ye Xi's eyelids twitched when he heard her words. First, she dragged him into the bedroom for no reason, and then she wanted to drink. Drinking was one thing, but she wanted him to drink alone! Everything was based on her own arbitrary decisions and bossy attitude.
Does this woman have a strange fetish for watching people drink?
He couldn't help but feel emotional about her commanding tone.
[She really is Ningguang. She's exactly like the female CEOs I encountered when negotiating projects in my past life!]
[You want me to drink just because you said so? Wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?]
[This bad temper needs to be cured!]
Thinking this, he pushed the wine flask back toward her. "Boss, I am a man of principle."
Ningguang frowned, her expression becoming subtle. Although she didn't quite understand what a "female CEO" was, her jade-like lips parted slightly as she uttered a few words: "One million Mora per cup."
As she spoke, she pushed the flask back toward Ye Xi.
"Ahem!" Ye Xi nearly choked on his own saliva. [As expected of a wealthy woman. She's so generous the moment she opens her mouth...]
One million Mora was currently his entire net worth! He remembered his days of working day and night to write novels at the Yae Publishing House. Although he had that Sly Fox, Yae Miko, to keep him company, it had been a painstaking effort. After three years, he had only saved one million Mora. And now, he could get that much just by drinking a single cup of wine.
Is this the game of the rich?
Hearing Ye Xi's thoughts, a flash of pride appeared in Ningguang's eyes. Anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem. Didn't you say you had principles? Let's see how much your principles are worth in Mora!
Just as she was preparing to tease him about the price of his principles, Ye Xi's words caught her off guard.
"Mora is worthless compared to my principles."
After Ye Xi finished speaking, he pushed the flask back once more. This time, the light in Ningguang's eyes flickered, and her expression became complicated. Does Ye Xi really not fall for this tactic anymore?
She decided to try again!
"Ten million Mora per cup!"
That was Ye Xi's monthly salary! He could get it now with just one cup! If he had a good tolerance, he could easily finish a dozen cups!
However, Ye Xi remained unmoved. Ningguang panicked. Her delicate hands clenched into fists, her palms sweating slightly. In her heart, Mora was the only means she had to make Ye Xi stay! Just like a few days ago, when she offered ten million Mora to keep him by her side. She had taken it for granted that if he wanted to leave in the future, she would simply need to use more Mora.
But if Ye Xi no longer cared about Mora, she would have no way to maintain a connection with him. At this moment, she no longer cared whether he drank or not; she cared about whether he still had a need for Mora! This was her only way to keep him by her side in the future.
"One hundred million Mora per cup!"
She was going all out. One hundred million Mora was no small sum, but to trade it for a few words of truth from Ye Xi, it was all worth it! She looked at him, and her gaze was no longer haughty. Instead, it was filled with anticipation and supplication. She hoped he would nod!
Yet Ye Xi was still unmoved. "It has nothing to do with the Mora. No matter how much you give me, I'm just not very good at drinking."
Upon hearing this, Ningguang's overbearing aura vanished instantly. She had no way to deal with Ye Xi. This feeling gave her a sense of the same despair she felt as a penniless child. Back then, she could afford nothing. Now, she could have anything she wanted. But right now, she wanted Ye Xi.
"What will it take for you to agree?"
Ye Xi was about to answer, but he was stunned when he saw tears flickering in Ningguang's red eyes.
[Did I make Ningguang cry?]
[But she's one of the Liyue Qixing!]
[Just because I won't drink?]
He never expected that Ningguang would show such a fragile side. She looked like a vulnerable woman. It felt as if he had gone too far.
Ningguang lowered her head, trying to calm her emotions. Just then, she heard Ye Xi's sigh. "How about this? We'll have one cup each. It's not fair for me to drink alone."
She snapped her head up. Although she wasn't good at drinking, if Ye Xi said so, she would follow through.
"Fine, but you start first." Ningguang felt a surge of joy. She removed her golden finger guards, revealing a pair of slender, delicate hands. Then, she gripped the neck of the flask and poured a cup for Ye Xi.
[To have the Tianquan of Liyue pour wine for me, what a boost to my reputation!]
Ye Xi felt quite refreshed. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. He smiled and said, "How about this? You pour the wine and feed it to me, then I'll pour the wine and feed it to you. That would be the fairest way."
"Otherwise, if you pour just a little for yourself and fill mine to the brim, wouldn't it be unfair?"
"You have a set of scales in your Jade Chamber. As the Tianquan, you should treat everything with an even hand."
He felt his argument was perfectly logical. Sure enough, Ningguang's face turned red upon hearing this. If she couldn't hear his heart, she would have certainly believed he was doing it for the sake of fairness. But as things stood, it was obvious that Ye Xi just wanted the Tianquan to feed him! He wanted to satisfy his vanity after "conquering" her!
Looking at the youth before her, who was clearly much younger than herself, Ningguang felt a sense of impropriety. If the person in front of her were a peer, she might feel better. But he was a young man who had only just reached adulthood. She felt a sense of shame, as if she were behaving indecently. It was as if she were seducing a younger boy!
Under Ye Xi's gaze, she nodded slightly. Ye Xi patted the chair next to him, signaling for her to come closer. Ningguang sat down beside him, within arm's reach.
"Drink..."
This was the first time Ningguang had ever done such a thing. She felt a wave of shame, as if she were serving Ye Xi. In all of Liyue, who could make her pour wine? Let alone feed it to their lips like this!
Ningguang's delicate hands held the cup and moved it to Ye Xi's lips. A mouthful of sake slid down his throat. The burning sensation he expected didn't appear, which felt strange to him.
Was this even alcohol? Was this just Laoshan water mixed with a bit of liquor?
It felt like it had the alcohol content of beer. In his past life, he frequently had drinks with colleagues. Whether it was beer, white spirits, wine, or foreign liquors... it wasn't an exaggeration to say his tolerance was decent. This kind of "wine," he could drink a whole flask of it like water. With these tiny cups, he could drink Ningguang into bankruptcy!
He took the cup from Ningguang's hand, refilled it, and held it to her red lips. "Your turn."
Ningguang hesitated before drinking. Because Ye Xi had just used this cup, if she drank from it now, wouldn't that be...
However, there was only one cup. If they switched to teacups, she would probably be passed out after a single round. She had no choice but to awkwardly coordinate with Ye Xi and drink the wine. The taste of the alcohol made her cough.
Ye Xi laughed. "You can't be unable to drink, can you?"
"Who said that? I am of the Liyue Qixing..." Ningguang's eyes grew stubborn, her competitive streak rising again. She took the cup and filled it to the brim for Ye Xi, seemingly proud of herself for pouring a little extra.
Drinking like this was usually quite boring, but with Ningguang, it was actually quite enjoyable. After a few cups, Ningguang's face was completely flushed. While Ye Xi wasn't entirely unaffected, he felt more clear-headed than ever.
[This woman wanted to get me drunk, but she can't even hold her own?]
[How boring. If I had known, I would have given her a two-flask handicap.]
Hearing Ye Xi's heart, Ningguang frowned. Who was drunk? She just felt a little dazed, that's all! Seeing the cup Ye Xi was holding out, she instinctively opened her mouth. But the cup was suddenly pulled away. She looked back at Ye Xi and saw that his eyes were full of playfulness.
"Are you teasing me?" Ningguang's gaze was filled with a touch of resentment, like a woman who couldn't get what she wanted.
Seeing this, Ye Xi smiled. "Alright, stop drinking. If you keep going, you really will be drunk."
"I'm not drunk, I'm perfectly sober!" Even though she said that, she didn't try to grab the cup again.
Then, Ye Xi's voice reached her ears. "I get the feeling you have a lot of worries."
Looking at Ningguang's tipsy state, she lacked the intimidating aura of the Tianquan. This version of Ningguang was perhaps her most authentic self. That was why Ye Xi asked.
Ningguang's heart stirred. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at Ye Xi. "Worries... oh? If I told you the worries of the Liyue Qixing... would your shoulders be able to bear the weight?"
How could she not have worries? When she was a child, she had nothing, but she was free. As long as she could fill her stomach, she had no concerns. But now it was different. She had Mora, but she had to think for all of Liyue! She had endured so many hardships by sheer force of will. To say she wasn't tired would be a lie!
Ye Xi pointed to his shoulder and said calmly, "I think you could at least give it a try."
Ningguang was stunned. Looking at the youthful but handsome face before her, she still felt a bit of hesitation. Even though he was a youth, she always felt that Ye Xi was exceptionally mature. Interacting with him felt like talking to a peer.
She could suddenly understand why Ganyu and Keqing had fallen for him one after another. Ye Xi possessed a maturity far beyond his years, extraordinary abilities, and a graceful, elegant presence. How could anyone not like such a person? Men liked younger girls, and women were the same! She just felt a little guilty about it.
Then, she heard Ye Xi's thoughts.
[It really hasn't been easy for a woman like Ningguang.]
[In my past life, when I was approaching thirty, I was just scraping by, working myself to death.]
[Ningguang, at an age younger than me, became the ruler of Liyue. She is much stronger than I was.]
Waves of emotion surged in Ningguang's heart. She had long suspected Ye Xi was extraordinary, but she never imagined he didn't even belong to the world of Teyvat! If these thoughts were true, then Ye Xi had lived in another world and was actually older than her. Somehow, he had ended up here.
No wonder he was so mature. For someone like him to appear before "blooming" girls like Keqing and Xiangling, wasn't it an absolute overwhelming advantage?
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. If Ye Xi was technically older than her in his heart, couldn't she rely on him with a clear conscience? Given Ye Xi's youthful appearance, wouldn't that be even more... exciting?
With that thought in mind, Ningguang looked at Ye Xi's shoulder and slowly leaned against it.
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