A moment later, Yichen steadily carried Ningguang to the entrance of her lavish chamber and gently set her down.
He took half a step back, the familiar smile still on his face, and waved at her.
"All right, Lady Ningguang—delivery complete and safe! Thank you so much for today's guidance. I really learned a lot!"
"Please rest early. I should be heading back as well."
Ningguang leaned lightly against the doorframe, watching this utterly unromantic man whose mind was clearly already elsewhere. The rare warmth and faint sense of reliance that had just surfaced in her heart was instantly replaced by a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"The inn you're staying at is quite a distance from here," she said calmly.
"Why not… rest here instead?"
Her gaze swept toward several guest rooms at the end of the corridor.
"There are plenty of empty rooms in the Jade Chamber, and… it would be more convenient for work tomorrow as well, wouldn't it?"
However, Yichen shook his head without the slightest hesitation, his reasons upright and impeccable.
"No, no, Lady Ningguang—thank you for the offer! I still need to hurry back and write a letter to Acting Grand Master Jean to report on today's progress. That's top priority! Bye-bye!"
With that, he waved once more, turned around, and jogged off toward the Floating Stone Steps. His retreating figure radiated the ease of someone who had completed a task—and the eager anticipation of "writing a letter to Acting Grand Master Jean."
He never noticed that behind him, the expression of Liyue's wealthiest woman froze completely.
Ningguang stared as that utterly unhesitating, even cheerful, back disappeared down the stairway. For a brief moment, she couldn't quite process what had just happened.
Re… rejected?
She—Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing, richest person in Teyvat, ruler of Liyue Harbor—had personally invited a man to stay the night in the Jade Chamber…
And had been refused so cleanly. So naturally. With a perfectly reasonable "official business comes first."
This was an experience entirely unfamiliar to her.
It had been many years—no, perhaps for the first time in her life—that her charm and authority had been completely ignored, overridden purely because "something else was more important."
Ningguang stood there, staring at the now-empty stairway. In those eyes that always calculated everything and saw through human hearts, clear astonishment appeared for the first time—along with the faintest trace of… frustration?
Her slender brows knit slightly.
This Yichen was even more… unusual than she had thought.
Because Yichen had not originally been part of Mondstadt's official diplomatic delegation—and because he always carried himself with an air of "I'm just here to travel and casually learn how to make money"—Ningguang had grown interested in him, but had not immediately mobilized her intelligence network to investigate him deeply.
She only knew that he was an assistant to Mondstadt's Acting Grand Master, Jean.
But now, it was clear that such surface-level information was far from sufficient.
A man who could so naturally refuse her invitation was no ordinary individual.
Why was Yichen so loyal to the Acting Grand Master Jean, so devoted that even writing her a letter was treated as a "top priority"?
A spark of curiosity—and competitiveness—quietly ignited in the Tianquan's heart.
She turned and walked into her room, her steps as elegant as ever, but her gaze had become deep and sharp.
She lightly clapped her hands.
A blurred figure emerged soundlessly behind her, as if peeled from the shadows themselves.
"I want everything you can find on Yichen of the Knights of Favonius. The more detailed, the better. Especially his interactions and relationship with Mondstadt's Acting Grand Master, Jean Gunnhildr."
"Yes, my lady."
The shadow responded softly, then vanished without a trace, as though it had never existed.
Ningguang walked to the window and looked down at Liyue Harbor, already sunk into slumber. Her fingers tapped the window frame unconsciously.
Yichen… just what kind of man are you, really?
Meanwhile, at the inn where the Mondstadt delegation was staying, the light in Kaeya's room was still on.
The Cavalry Captain was not the least bit sleepy—on the contrary, he was in high spirits.
On his desk lay two sheets of letter paper.
One was a formal report destined for the Knights of Favonius headquarters—formal in appearance only, as the contents were anything but serious.
The other… was a "private friendship update," addressed to the Wave Knight, Eula Lawrence.
When you're doing something mischievous, you don't get tired.
Kaeya wrote while muttering softly to himself.
"Hmm… 'Respected Acting Grand Master Jean, greetings. Assistant Yichen has made "breakthrough" progress in Liyue's diplomatic affairs…'"
His pen paused, then he generously added fuel to the fire.
"'…and has earned the appreciation and… ah, care of the Liyue Qixing and their key aides. In particular, this evening, eyewitnesses observed Tianquan Ningguang and our Knights' assistant Yichen strolling side by side through Liyue Harbor, conversing pleasantly in a harmonious atmosphere. Lady Ningguang even…'"
At this point, Kaeya couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as he turned to pour his creativity into Eula's letter.
"'…Eula, you really should have seen it. The affection in Miss Ganyu's eyes, the admiration in Lady Keqing's gaze, and today's rather ambiguous walk through Liyue Harbor with Miss Ningguang… tsk tsk. Mondstadt's "Number One Lover" is probably about to carve out an entirely new future in Liyue Harbor.'"
Finally, he added a postscript to Jean's letter:
"PS: According to my own eyewitness account, Lady Ningguang even gently stroked his hair. Such an honor is practically unheard of in Liyue's business circles."
After finishing the last line, Kaeya blew gently on the ink and sealed both letters—one with the Knights of Favonius wax seal, the other with his personal insignia.
He checked his "masterpieces" repeatedly, ensuring that the wording maintained a façade of objectivity while leaving boundless room for misunderstanding—more than enough to stir up something entertaining back in Mondstadt.
Then, the troublemaking Cavalry Captain grabbed both letters and strode out of his room with renewed vigor, heading straight for the inn's main hall—where several Knights were still up, playing cards to pass the time.
"Place your bets, place your bets!
Will our dear Assistant Yichen receive a 'letter of concern' from Mondstadt first—
Or an 'invitation' from a certain big shot in Liyue?
Or better yet… which lady's 'feelings' will he bring back to Mondstadt?
Amazing odds—once you bet, no backing out!"
As Kaeya's voice rang out, the previously quiet hall erupted into cheers, laughter, and mock scolding.
"Captain Kaeya! Not again!"
"I'm betting a pack of Mondstadt potato pancakes—Grand Master Jean writes first!"
"I'm betting on Lady Ningguang! Yichen was summoned to the Jade Chamber today!"
"Miss Ganyu seems very gentle too…"
"Did you see Lady Keqing's eyes that day? There's definitely something there!"
The atmosphere ignited instantly.
Kaeya watched the lively scene, his single eye curving into a crescent moon.
Perfect. The plan was a success.
Let the winds of Mondstadt blow into even greater chaos.
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