"Is that so? Then please send the bill to the Northland B—no. Send it to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor instead."
Zhongli let out a quiet sigh and changed his mind mid-sentence.
"Still can't do that," the shop owner said with a helpless smile. "Ryou-sama made it very clear—if anyone dares let you owe Mora, he'll bring people to our door."
"He even dared to arrest the Northland Bank folks. I can't afford to offend him."
"So, Zhongli-san… if you're in a hurry, please pay with Mora."
The owner looked genuinely miserable.
Zhongli actually had a great reputation in Liyue Harbor. He rarely checked prices when he bought things, and the Northland Bank and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor usually handled the bill. Naturally, merchants loved doing business with him—who didn't want to earn more Mora?
But things weren't the same anymore.
If anyone dared let Zhongli buy on credit now, they'd be asking for trouble.
"I… fine." Zhongli sighed again.
He took one last look at the antique jade, then forced himself to look away. It wasn't cheap, and he simply didn't have that much Mora on him. With Ryou making a scene like this, buying things around Liyue Harbor clearly wasn't going to be easy anymore.
"Looks like I'll have to carry Mora when I go out from now on," Zhongli muttered as he walked toward the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. "Otherwise, I can't even settle a bill."
"And that Ryou… he takes everything so seriously. Why would he issue a public notice over something this small?"
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
When he reached a crossroads, he spotted Childe walking over.
"Oh?" Childe grinned. "If it isn't Zhongli-san. Been a while."
Zhongli's expression turned a little strange. He cleared his throat. "Childe, why haven't you been around Liyue Harbor lately?"
"I had business elsewhere," Childe said casually. "But don't worry. The Northland Bank has been here for years—do you really think something would happen just because I stepped out for a bit?"
He laughed and tipped his head. "Come on. Let's go to the bank and have a drink."
Zhongli glanced at him. "That… probably won't work."
Childe blinked.
Zhongli continued evenly, "Ryou arrested your people. The entire Northland Bank staff. Even La Signora was taken to the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Childe stared at him, then frowned. "Zhongli-san, we haven't seen each other in a while, but don't joke like that."
"The Northland Bank has deep roots here. We're partners with Liyue Harbor. How could the ministry possibly arrest our people?"
He narrowed his eyes. "If you keep talking like this, I'm going to get angry."
"It's the truth," Zhongli said. "In any case, you should go figure something out."
Seeing Childe still didn't believe him, Zhongli didn't bother saying more. He turned and left.
"Hey—Zhongli-san!" Childe called after him.
Zhongli didn't stop.
Childe could only shake his head and head back to the Northland Bank. But the moment he arrived, his face darkened.
Zhongli hadn't lied.
The Northland Bank had actually been sealed off.
And La Signora being arrested… that was even more unbelievable. She was one of the Fatui Harbingers. Her strength wasn't weak in the slightest—so how was she locked up in the Ministry of Civil Affairs?
Who could've captured her?
Keqing?
Impossible. Keqing had a Vision, sure, but she was nowhere near La Signora's level.
Forget that for now.
First, he needed to get his people back.
Childe went straight to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Is Keqing-san here?"
A staff member frowned. "Keqing-san hasn't been to the ministry for days."
"She hasn't?" Childe's brows knit tighter. "Then who's in charge right now?"
"Ryou-sama," the staff member said, giving him a once-over. "You're here about the Northland Bank, aren't you? Go on up."
Childe said nothing and headed upstairs.
At the office door, he didn't bother knocking. He pushed it open and walked straight in.
Ryou looked up, and Childe's eyes narrowed.
Fatui intelligence had already flagged him: the son of one of the Liyue Qixing, brilliant, and married to Keqing.
Childe didn't care.
He strode in with a cold face and dropped into a chair.
"The Ministry of Civil Affairs arrested our Northland Bank people for no reason," he said sharply. "I want an explanation."
"We're from Snezhnaya. Do you understand what you're doing? Are you trying to spark conflict between our nations?"
"Can you carry that responsibility?"
He leaned back, gaze icy. "Release them. Now."
"Otherwise, I'll have a long talk with Ningguang. And when that happens—no matter who your father is, you'll pay the price for this."
Ryou's expression turned hard.
He slammed a palm on the desk. "Childe, do you even know where you are?"
"This is the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Not your Northland Bank. Not Snezhnaya."
"What is this supposed to be—using Snezhnaya to pressure me?"
Childe snorted. "No. It looks to me like you're using Liyue Harbor to pressure me—to pressure the Northland Bank."
Ryou stared him down. "So what if I am?"
"I'm telling you right now—if you think I'm letting them go, you're dreaming."
"And if you keep causing trouble in my office, believe it or not, I'll throw you in a cell with the rest."
Childe hadn't expected Ryou to give him this little face.
His eyes sharpened with something feral.
If Ryou weren't the son of a Qixing member—if he didn't have real influence in Liyue Harbor—Childe would've already crippled him.
"Fine," Childe said, voice low. "Don't regret it."
"I won't let this go. When Ningguang steps in, we'll see how she handles it."
He stood and left without another word.
Ryou watched him go, frowning slightly.
Childe really thought highly of himself.
But inside the Ministry of Civil Affairs, if Ryou didn't give the order, he wanted to see who would dare release anyone.
Still… Zhongli was going to be a problem.
For now, all Ryou could do was take things one step at a time. Zhongli clearly had his mind set on "retiring," and Ryou had to stop him.
Ryou rubbed his temples. "That Zhongli… what a stubborn antique."
As he walked out, he suddenly heard two female staff members whispering about Zhongli—and the tone was… a little too vivid.
"R-Ryou-sama!"
"Ryou-sama!"
They jumped when they saw him, faces tense.
Ryou raised a brow. "So… you're interested in Zhongli-san?"
An idea clicked into place.
Zhongli was capable, and he handled paperwork easily enough. Maybe Ryou could give him a different kind of trouble.
What if he let these women chase after Zhongli?
…That might actually work.
"Ah—y-yes," one of them admitted, cheeks red. "Zhongli-san is talented, and he's handsome too. I'm… still single."
Ryou nodded slowly. "I see."
"Then I support you."
"I was listening just now, and it hit me—Zhongli-san needs a wife."
"A grown man walking around with no Mora on him? That's not going to work. Someone has to keep him in line."
"If any of you manage to marry Zhongli-san—any of the women in the Ministry of Civil Affairs—I'll personally reward him with a house in Liyue Harbor."
His gaze swept the room as he spoke, deliberate and clear.
The moment the words landed, every woman's eyes lit up.
They were already interested in Zhongli. Marrying him would be a win on its own. And a house in Liyue Harbor? That was worth a fortune.
If they got it, they could settle down in the city for good.
"Ryou-sama, are you serious?!" a young staff member asked, stepping forward.
"Of course." Ryou patted his chest. "One hundred percent. If you succeed, come find me."
"T-then… what about me?" a middle-aged woman blurted out.
She was older, but she still carried herself with a certain charm—she was pretty, in her own way.
"Hey, hey," a male staff member cut in. "You already have kids. Why are you joining the chaos?"
"Yeah!" someone else chimed in.
The middle-aged woman laughed sweetly. "Don't say it like that."
"If a house is the reward, I'll divorce tomorrow."
"Besides, Zhongli-san isn't exactly young. Maybe he doesn't like little girls."
"Men like him prefer someone steady—someone who knows what he wants."
"And trust me," she said, smiling wider, "one pat and I'll know exactly what to do."
She said it openly, like she hadn't just driven the conversation straight off a cliff.
Ryou's expression turned strange.
Yeah… there really was a difference between young girls and married women.
Then a bitter thought hit him.
My Keqing doesn't get it at all.
When I pat her, she bites me.
Damn it.
Feiyun Slope.
"Keqing, I need to go back and handle work," Ganyu said, exasperated. "You can shop on your own."
She had gone to Keqing's place to help treat her. Somehow, Keqing had dragged her out to browse the streets instead.
Keqing clung to Ganyu's arm, smiling. "Ganyu-nee, work needs balance too."
"If you don't do it, someone else will."
"We finally got a chance to go out together—stop thinking about paperwork."
Ganyu rolled her eyes.
Of course you can say that. You have Ryou handling everything for you.
I'm not that lucky.
The ministry work piles up like a mountain. If it keeps stacking, I don't even know how many nights I'll be up.
Still, seeing how clingy Keqing was being, Ganyu could only sigh and smile wryly. "Keqing, I can't compare to you."
"You have Ryou helping you. I only have myself."
"And lately, the work at Yujing Terrace has been especially heavy."
Keqing's eyes brightened. "You've been working until dawn, haven't you?"
"Then… how about I send Ryou to help you tonight?"
Keqing's thoughts raced.
If Ryou went to help Ganyu at night… a man and a woman alone together, late hours—something was bound to happen.
And even if nothing happened, it would at least bring them closer.
Most importantly…
Tonight, she could finally rest properly.
She hadn't gone to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for four whole days.
She couldn't keep skipping anymore.
"H-Huh? Is that really okay?" Ganyu's eyes lit up despite herself.
Ryou's ability was downright absurd. If he helped her, she could finally breathe.
But the moment Ganyu pictured him coming over at night, her stomach twisted.
Alone. Just the two of them.
She felt nervous for reasons she didn't want to name.
Shenhe's words surfaced in her mind again.
If you like him, then take him.
And late at night… with no one else around…
Wasn't that exactly the kind of chance she'd been talking about?
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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