"Lumine! That guy's here!"
The moment Paimon spotted that all-too-familiar figure at the door, she immediately ducked behind Lumine's back in alarm.
After all, both times they'd met Su Ran, he'd left… rather deep impressions.
The first time, he had tied them up outright.
The second, he'd casually slain a rogue god threatening Liyue— right in front of them.
"I thought I was the only one invited."
Seeing Lumine there too, Su Ran couldn't quite figure out what Ningguang was plotting.
If this was supposed to be a negotiation, wouldn't fewer people mean better confidentiality?
Leaving the Traveler here—wasn't she afraid of leaks?
Especially with a chatterbox like Paimon hovering nearby?
"Please don't take offense, Mr. Su Ran," Ningguang said with her usual calm smile.
"The Traveler has done much for Liyue.
Without her summoning the Adepti's aid, we might not have lasted until your intervention."
Truthfully, Ningguang did have her reasons for inviting Lumine.
According to a certain floating creature's slip of the tongue, there was some kind of deal between the Traveler and the Genius Club member.
What deal exactly, though—that, Paimon refused to say.
After Lumine shot her a warning glare, the little fairy zipped her lips shut tight.
She might be air-headed, but she knew which side of her bread was buttered.
Offend the Traveler, and she'd be going hungry.
"It's fine," Su Ran said with a wave.
"Actually, it's perfect. I was hoping Lumine could play a role in the upcoming Inazuma arc anyway."
He was, after all, preparing an entire dreamscape— a stage big enough for Lumine to shine.
A place where she could fight the Raiden Shogun head-on, without risk of dying.
Wouldn't that be thrilling?
Lumine didn't know what he was thinking, but under that sharp, amused gaze of his, she instinctively shivered.
"Mr. Su Ran," Ningguang said after a pause, "I've packed up all my personal belongings.
You can take over the Jade Chamber anytime."
Of course, the entire Jade Chamber was technically hers.
But what she meant were her clothes and private effects— things she couldn't possibly leave lying around.
"No need for all that trouble," Su Ran said lightly.
"The only reason I wanted the Jade Chamber was to have a decent place to live in Liyue.
You can keep staying there."
"This…"
Ningguang hesitated.
The Jade Chamber was her pride and joy.
To give it up felt like slicing off a piece of her heart.
But the value she saw in Su Ran… was far greater.
Seeing her pause, Su Ran raised a brow.
"What's wrong? Worried I'll peek at your trade secrets?"
That earned a soft laugh from her.
"Mr. Su Ran jests.
My little business ventures are hardly comparable to your… endeavors.
It's only—if I continue living there, tongues might start wagging.
I personally don't mind, but it could harm your reputation."
"Oh please," Su Ran chuckled.
"You're not some ugly hag.
You're a stunning beauty—why would I care about gossip?"
Fair enough.
Ningguang was pale-skinned, long-legged, and breathtakingly poised.
Countless men dreamed of winning her favor, but few even earned her glance.
Above her in status?
Only Morax and the Adepti.
Richer than her?
No one.
And in strength— she wielded a Vision.
Power, status, wealth, beauty— she had it all.
A perfect woman by any measure.
"Then I'll gratefully accept, Mr. Su Ran," Ningguang said with a graceful nod.
Being able to remain in the Jade Chamber was, of course, ideal.
It might no longer be hers, but it was still her home.
Sleeping elsewhere would feel… strange.
And if the Jade Chamber now belonged to Su Ran— did that mean he'd be staying there too?
Same roof, shared space…
That was opportunity.
As a mortal, she couldn't compete with gods in a head-on struggle.
But proximity had its own power— gentle influence, like water wearing down stone.
"Right, I'll need a large room cleared out for a lab.
Have someone prepare it."
"Understood," Ningguang replied immediately.
The former owner of the Jade Chamber now sounded like its caretaker.
But she didn't mind.
She knew exactly where she stood.
She might live there, but she was only a tenant now— not the mistress of the house.
Still, if she played her cards right, she could regain that title soon enough.
And besides— if Su Ran built a laboratory inside the Jade Chamber, she'd be the first to know what he was working on.
"Oh, and Ningguang," Su Ran added suddenly, "interested in managing my assets for me?"
He already had plenty of Mora— but he wasn't the type to stop there.
Spending money was easy; making more was smarter.
He could invent all day long, but finance wasn't his specialty.
And standing right before him was a professional.
"You trust me that much?" Ningguang asked softly, surprise flickering in her amber eyes.
Even she found the pace suspiciously fast.
Just moments ago they'd been negotiating, and now she was about to handle his fortune?
"Of course," Su Ran said with a lazy grin.
"I know you have your own agenda—and I don't mind helping you along.
That means, at least for now, betrayal's off the table.
As they say—'Don't use the untrustworthy, and don't doubt those you use.'"
With that, he pulled out a ring.
Ningguang froze for a second— a ring?
"This is a storage artifact," he explained.
"Everything I seized from the Hiiragi Clan in Inazuma is inside."
How much was it worth?
Even Su Ran didn't know.
But he trusted Ningguang to find out.
Once it was in her hands, his wealth would only grow.
"If I recall," Ningguang said thoughtfully, "that merchant—'The Rich Man'—is one of your colleagues, isn't he?"
The Fatui Harbinger Pantalone, the so-called "Regrator," was known for his obscene wealth.
"He is," Su Ran replied, smiling faintly.
"But money given to him just ends up in the Fatui's coffers.
I can use it, sure—but it still irks me.
Money given to you, though…
stays mine."
They both laughed.
Meanwhile, Lumine just stood there— completely lost.
(Wait… when did this turn into a cohabitation-and-ring-giving drama…?)
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