Watching Zhongli leave the office, Ryou lifted his tea and took a slow sip.
"Looks like what I said actually worked… though he definitely noticed something was off about me."
"Good thing Face can make my expressions look more convincing. If I didn't have that, he probably wouldn't have listened at all."
[System]
[Face has entered Darkened Mode!]
[System]
[While Face is in Darkened Mode, you can forcefully request one item just by showing your face. The other party will not refuse, and a "reasonable" excuse will naturally form. Usable twice per day.]
The effect made Ryou freeze.
"Just by showing my face?"
So if I went to Ningguang and asked her for the Jade Chamber, would she really hand it over without conditions?
[Face]: Master, you're overthinking it. The item depends on the situation. If it matters too much to them, the effect won't work.
[Ryou]: Great. There goes my brief moment of happiness.
[Ryou]: Fine. Hand, you're still on leave today. Take the night off too.
[Hand]: Thank you for your grace!
[Ryou]: Mm. Dismissed.
…
Ryou withdrew his focus.
If it only worked on things that weren't "too important," then its value dropped sharply. His father was one of the Liyue Qixing, and his uncle ran the Feiyun Commerce Guild—Ryou lacked for nothing.
So where was he even supposed to use this "face pass?"
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," Ryou said, glancing up.
A staff member rushed in and placed a document on his desk.
"Ryou-sama, an order came down from Yujing Terrace. They want us to release the people from the Northland Bank. Should I arrange it?"
Ryou skimmed the paper, then set it down.
"Release them? Release what?"
"Listen carefully. No one gets released without my order."
"I'm still investigating. Once I've confirmed everything, I'll release them myself."
"As for the Northland Bank people, they can sit tight and behave. Now get back to work."
"Y-yes, Ryou-sama!" The staff member was stunned.
Yujing Terrace had issued the order, and Ryou still refused?
He noticed Ryou's gaze and panicked, bowing repeatedly before hurrying out.
Click.
The door shut.
Ryou leaned back, tea in hand, unhurried.
"The Rite of Descension is the morning after tomorrow. La Signora and Zhongli are both going to get anxious."
"This time, it won't be so easy for them to push things along."
…
At Keqing's home.
"Ganyu, what are you doing here?" Keqing was genuinely surprised to see her at the door. "I was just about to send someone to look for you."
"Ryou helped me a lot last night," Ganyu said. "And I figured you probably wouldn't be able to go back to the Ministry of Civil Affairs today, so I came over to treat you."
As she remembered yesterday, heat crept up her cheeks on its own.
She didn't mention the part where she'd called Ryou her sensei. Keqing was her close friend—was she supposed to start calling her "sensei's wife" now?
Besides…
She was very interested in that position herself.
"Ganyu-nee…" Keqing's face turned bright red. She wanted to sink into the floor. Why would you say it like that?
Ganyu just smiled. "Alright. Let me treat you."
"Thank you," Keqing said quietly.
With Ganyu's help, her body finally felt less miserable, and she let out a long breath of relief.
"Actually," Ganyu added, "I'm not only here to see you. I also need to make a trip to Jueyun Karst."
"Jueyun Karst?" Keqing blinked. "Why?"
"I received a message from Cloud Retainer," Ganyu explained calmly. "She said my "sister" is coming down the mountain to live in Liyue Harbor. She also mentioned Tabibito and Paimon."
Ganyu continued, still steady and matter-of-fact.
"Tabibito found a lot of Sigils of Permission around Jueyun Karst. And together with little sister, they captured quite a few Fatui."
"Oh, that's what this is about." Keqing immediately stood up. "I'll go with you. I can use the chance to get out and breathe."
"Alright." Ganyu hesitated, then spoke, cheeks faintly pink. "But don't blame me for being nosy."
"Sometimes… the two of you should be a little more mindful."
"You're husband and wife, yes, but this kind of thing should be about longevity. Chasing short-term pleasure isn't good."
"Ah…" Keqing's face flared. "That's not my fault! It's all him!"
"Every time, he's the one bullying me, and I can't fight back."
"If you didn't help me, I'd be finished."
"Sometimes I really wish someone could help me—and the best person for that would be you."
The moment the words left her mouth, Ganyu stiffened, then quickly forced herself to recover.
She sighed helplessly. "We're close. Helping you is only natural."
"But if this keeps going, it's still not good."
"You should talk to Ryou properly."
Then she paused, as if something had been bothering her.
"There's something I don't understand. Can I ask you?"
"What is it?" Keqing asked.
"I noticed yesterday… Ryou is in excellent condition. He moves like he's full of energy."
"By all logic, with how much he's… "working", he should be the one struggling."
"So why does it feel like you're the one who can't keep up?" Ganyu looked at Keqing directly.
"Cough—cough…" Keqing choked so hard she nearly lost her breath. It took her a while to calm down, one hand pressed to her chest.
How am I supposed to answer that?
And if he hadn't gotten worked up by you, would he have come home and used me as a stress outlet?
Still…
Ganyu wasn't wrong. Usually it's the man who ends up exhausted while the woman enjoys it.
So why had everything flipped in her case?
"I… I don't know," Keqing mumbled. "He's just… too much."
"Honestly, even if it wasn't just me—adding one or two more probably wouldn't help."
Her face burned like it was on fire. She turned away, too embarrassed to look at Ganyu.
"He looks gentle and refined in the daytime, like some kind of scholar… but at night he turns into a demon king."
"I'm scared of him."
"To be honest, I've been trying to find women for him lately. Ganyu, you—"
Keqing is testing me.
Ganyu's heart jumped.
She cut in quickly, flustered and a little angry.
"Keqing, stop it."
"You don't have to worry. I was only curious."
"If you keep talking like that, I'm going to get upset."
Ganyu and Keqing interacted often. Among the Qixing, the person she was closest to was Keqing. Keqing worked seriously, tirelessly, with absolute dedication—well, aside from what marriage had dragged her into.
And Ganyu had always insisted on monogamy. She'd argued with Ningguang about it more than once, badly enough that they'd parted on terrible terms.
So hearing Keqing talk about "finding women" for Ryou felt unreal.
To Ganyu, it sounded like a test.
And what made it worse was that she couldn't understand why Keqing was so suspicious—Ganyu hadn't shown anything out of line.
Or…
Had she?
Keqing fell silent too.
She wasn't testing her. She was being sincere.
She genuinely wanted Ganyu to help share the load.
How could Ganyu be so smart about everything, and yet choose this moment to play dumb?
…
After Ryou finished giving his orders, he left his office to head home.
"Ryou!" Zhongli called out behind him.
Ryou turned. "What is it?"
"I heard Yujing Terrace issued an order… and you still aren't releasing them?" Zhongli hesitated, then quickly added, "Don't misunderstand. I'm asking because Childe came to see me."
Ryou's gaze sharpened, and Zhongli immediately explained.
He'd already finished his paperwork and could've left earlier. He stayed specifically for this.
And Childe really had shown up, intending to offer some kind of "task reward."
But someone stopped him and said a few things. After that, Childe pushed the matter onto Zhongli and left in a hurry.
Ryou looked Zhongli over.
"Yes, Yujing Terrace ordered it," he said flatly. "And I'm still not releasing them."
"Zhongli-san, Liyue and the Fatui might look peaceful on the surface, but underneath, both sides have been readying themselves for a long time."
"I'll give you some advice—don't get too close to Childe."
"Fatui Harbingers aren't good people. Be careful."
Ryou patted Zhongli's shoulder and walked away.
Zhongli opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
Before he could think it through, several female staff members swarmed over again—one "big sister" among them didn't even bother with restraint, grabbing his arm and bombarding him with invitations.
…
As Ryou left the ministry grounds and headed into Liyue Harbor, he spotted a young woman approaching from the opposite direction.
It was Yanfei, Liyue's legal adviser. She was well-known in the harbor and often helped the Ministry of Civil Affairs settle disputes.
"Ryou-san!" Yanfei's eyes lit up. She hurried over. "Is Keqing at the ministry?"
"You're looking for Keqing?" Ryou asked. "What for?"
"She didn't come?" Yanfei froze. "But it's been five days…"
"Keqing is normally extremely diligent. How could this happen?"
"Sorry—I didn't mean anything by it," Yanfei quickly added when she noticed Ryou's expression. "I just have a case I need Keqing to help with."
Ryou remembered Keqing was still recovering at home and said simply, "Tell me. I can handle it."
"T-that…" Yanfei looked torn. She was glad he was willing, but it wasn't exactly a simple matter.
"What happened?" Ryou pressed.
Yanfei took a breath and explained.
"Maocai borrowed Mora from the Northland Bank and used an estate up at Yujing Terrace as collateral."
"The deadline has passed, but he can't repay it."
"I was the witness when the agreement was made. Now that the Northland Bank has been shut down, he's trying to renege."
"So I wanted Keqing to come with me and collect the collateral… but she hasn't been at the ministry for five full days."
"Maocai?" Ryou frowned. "That merchant who got rich off ores? The one everyone hates?"
Yanfei coughed awkwardly. "That's… not inaccurate."
"It's fine." Ryou waved a hand. "Small problem."
"I'll go with you. I'll make him hand over the estate."
Yanfei blinked. "Make him… hand it over?"
She couldn't quite process it. Even if Keqing could force the issue, Maocai might not even recognize Ryou at all. How was this supposed to work?
But Ryou had already started walking toward Yujing Terrace, and Yanfei could only hurry after him.
[End of chapter]
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