Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

Keqing finally spoke, using the ever-reliable topic of what to eat: "Your Excellency hasn't answered yet. Would you like to eat Rina, or Tsukina? Or perhaps..."

Xiao Yi was still troubled by his previous delusions. He couldn't help but have wild thoughts: Could Rina Tsukina be some kind of code, telling me to choose between Gan Yu and Ke Qing?

However, Xiao Yi is not the kind of person like Miyamoto Jiro who likes to overthink things. Before obtaining substantial evidence, it is best to interpret the other party's words according to their literal meaning.

He looked up to observe Ke Qing's reaction.

The purple-haired cat-headed girl's eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact, and her small hands seemed unsure of what to do, as if she was trying to hide her nervousness.

Damn, this reaction is wrong!

In fact, the reason why Keqing was nervous was that she had done something good but ended up doing something bad, and that she felt guilty for deceiving Narutoko in order to make amends.

As for the question about where to eat, I genuinely asked the other person where to eat, and I didn't mean anything else.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yi carefully replied, "I want both Rina and Tsukina, is that alright?"

"Okay, no problem." Ke Qing agreed in a low voice and told the driver to turn around and head towards Yujingtai.

As the carriage passed through the commercial street, although the Qianyan Army had cleared the paths that the distinguished guests might take and strengthened the patrols around the area to ensure a smooth journey to their destination, Xiao Yi could still see through the window that many people seemed to have gathered on the streets next door that had not been cleared.

"What's going on there?" Xiao Yi asked.

Ke Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she found that Narutoko wasn't bothered by Gan Yu's matter. Coincidentally, the street was crowded, and she had specifically inquired about it before welcoming the distinguished guest this morning.

The girl calmed down a bit and said confidently, "It's because of the bard."

"A bard?" Xiao Yi asked, puzzled.

“Yes, they are bards from Mondstadt, performing on the streets to earn money for drinks,” Keqing replied honestly. “The way Mondstadt bards tell stories is very different from the storytelling style of Liyue storytellers, so everyone was curious and gathered around.”

"What's the poet's name?" Xiao Yi pressed for details. "What did he look like?"

“I happened to speak with him this morning. He was originally at the market on this street, but since the carriages going to Yujingtai had to pass through here, I sent him to the next street.” Keqing recalled, stroking her chin. “He was a teenage poet, very handsome. I asked his name during the routine inquiry, and it was Wendy—if he wasn’t lying.”

Barbatos, the god of wind!

Xiao Yi couldn't help but smile.

If Mr. Zhongli of the Hall of Rebirth does not accept the great gift from the Thunder God, then let's give the food to this poor bard and coax him into drinking it in return.

……

Yujingtai, the administrative center of Liyue.

The spacious open-air area was deserted, with only the occasional clear bird song. The area had long been cleared by the Seven Stars to serve as a dining and conversation area for Narukamiko.

An extravagantly large round table stood beside the railing of the high platform. Xiao Yi and Ke Qing sat on either side of it. The table was filled with white jade plates that resembled full moons, each adorned with exquisitely presented delicacies. The total value of this meal was enough to buy an apartment in the suburbs of Ligang.

Fortunately, it was Keqing who was hosting. If it had been Ningguang from Tianquan, Xiao Yi might have been able to witness the entire Liyue feast, and it wouldn't have been as simple as just buying a house in the suburbs.

Xiao Yi and Ke Qing each picked up an antique bronze cup, gently clinked their glasses, and savored the expensive, high-class welcome wine, enjoying the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

Xiao Yi looked to his left and saw a brightly colored flowerbed. To his right, he took in the vibrant scene of Li Harbor. Coupled with the delicate fragrance in the air and the sumptuous Liyue delicacies before him, he forced himself to refrain from speaking in his usual way and exclaim his praise.

Pressure Massenet!

Without saying much, Xiao Yi began to eat heartily, and Ke Qing also ate a few bites as a token gesture. During this time, Xiao Yi didn't say much, and Ke Qing imitated him by keeping quiet.

This situation couldn't be more comfortable for her. It would be best if Naruko didn't ask any questions, just ate like this for a few days and then went home. This would be better for both of us.

Half an hour later, Xiao Yi felt that his stomach was almost full. Even the boiled cabbage in broth tasted bland to him, who was already full.

But Ke Qing continued to savor the food, so he had no choice but to eat slowly and carefully with a professional attitude, no longer focusing on eating, but analyzing the craftsmanship and techniques of each dish.

“Miss Keqing, I never expected your appetite to be so…immense.”

Xiao Yi couldn't think of a more euphemistic word to describe the cat-headed girl who, despite maintaining an elegant eating style, kept stuffing food into her mouth.

Ke Qing blushed slightly and quickly swallowed the beef offal in her mouth: "I think if there are good things on the table, we should eat as much as possible. After all, they are the result of the hard work of laborers: whether they are chefs, farmers, or fishermen... Sorry, I'm getting off topic."

"However, we should try our best to be frugal, otherwise it's not worth ruining our health."

"As expected of you, Lord Yuheng, who cares deeply for the people," Xiao Yi praised, then jokingly asked, "If I can't finish it, will Lord Yuheng punish me?"

"No, this is just my way of restraining myself." Ke Qing gently wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I will not force others to do such a thing."

Xiao Yi smiled and expressed his appreciation again. He then shared his own insights, including the importance of improving people's livelihoods for national development and the hardships faced by laborers.

After the banquet, Ke Qing's goodwill towards Xiao Yi increased considerably. At first, she thought he was just a spoiled brat with divine power who knew nothing about anything except fighting on the battlefield and table manners.

It now seems that the other party has a unique understanding of politics, and it coincides with their own.

What is this, a kindred spirit, or rather...?

Xiao Yi put down his cutlery. He felt the atmosphere was perfect now and they could get straight to the point.

"Excuse me for asking, when... will I be able to meet my fiancée?"

Ke Qing's relaxed heart tensed up again, and Xiao Yi's reflection appeared in her jewel-like pupils. She pursed her lips to ease the tension in her heart and not let the other party notice anything amiss.

finally come!

Chapter 94 Gan Yu: What are you looking at?

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency, I didn't mean to hide it from you." Ke Qing feigned sadness and looked sincerely into Xiao Yi's eyes. "Your fiancée, Miss Gan Yu, has become somewhat mentally unstable due to working continuously for three months without sleep."

Xiao Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Is the workload of Liyue civil servants really that intense? It actually exhausted the Qilin Immortal!

"How is she now?" Xiao Yi asked with concern.

“We’ve hired the best doctors to treat her, and we’ve even tried doctors from other countries.” Ke Qing shook her head in self-reproach. “It’s all my fault. I should have paid more attention to her health and prevented this from happening…”

Her self-blame was genuine.

If Gan Yu hadn't been overworked, she wouldn't have made a mistake with the contract, leading to this farcical marriage. Besides, Ke Qing's well-intentioned matchmaking went awry.

Xiao Yi sensed Ke Qing's self-blame and believed that she was not lying. Gan Yu had indeed turned from an ice unicorn into a silly unicorn due to overwork.

"May I visit her?" Xiao Yi asked. "Although I can't offer any help, she is still my fiancée, and I feel obligated to see her."

Ke Qing thought to herself: I knew she would ask that!

She, or rather, the Seven Stars, had made thorough preparations. Gan Yu was still working at home the day before yesterday, but upon hearing that the Death Star was about to arrive, she began rehearsing the "Plan to Deal with Narutoko" yesterday, and this morning she went straight to bed and refused to get up.

Seven Stars put on a very elaborate act, transporting Gan Yu to the medical clinic at Yujingtai, deliberately letting many unsuspecting civil servants see it along the way, making them believe that their secretary was in trouble.

“Actually, she is at Yujingtai.” Ke Qing’s expression was solemn. “If you wish to go, please follow me.”

Ke Qing put down her chopsticks and stood up. Xiao Yi took out a handkerchief with a turtle-shaped pattern and snow jasmine flowers, wiped his mouth, and followed behind her.

After passing through an antique-style corridor, Keqing arrived at the door of the room at the end of the corridor, greeted the guard Qianyan Jun, and gently knocked on the door with her knuckles.

Da da da……

"Gan Yu, I'm coming in."

What appeared to be a polite knock was actually a reminder to Gan Yu to prepare herself; it was time to put on an act and fool Narutoko.

There was no sound in the room.

Keqing pretended to be polite and stood at the door to wait, giving her colleagues more time to prepare.

About a minute later, she knocked on the door again, but still received no response.

Ke Qing pushed the door open and entered, with Xiao Yi following behind.

There was a bed deep inside the room. Gan Yu wasn't wearing her revealing cheongsam, but rather a white shirt-like garment, and she sat upright on the edge of the bed.

There was a small table next to the bed with a small plate on it. In the center of the plate lay a few bright yellow flowers, their emerald green stems indicating that they had just been picked.

Is it a sweet flower?

When Xiao Yi treated Salo to chicken, he used this ingredient before. This flower, which has extremely strong survival ability, is found all over the Teyvat continent, so it is not surprising that it appeared on Gan Yu's table.

Gan Yu picked up the chopsticks from the side of the plate, carefully picked up the sweet flower, and examined it closely.

Her gaze was unfocused, and she paid no attention to the two people who entered the room, as if she were truly out of her mind.

Ke Qing walked to the table, looked at Xiao Yi, and then looked at Gan Yu again, saying with concern according to the pre-arranged lines: "Gan Yu, you shouldn't eat sweet things when you're sick in bed. It's not good for your health, and you've been controlling your sugar intake before."

"I heard from the research of experts from Zhidong Kingdom that there's something called calories that can make people fat," Gan Yu murmured blankly, while turning over the sweet flower with her chopsticks, as if searching for something. "But it doesn't say how many calories it has, it doesn't say, if it doesn't say it has zero calories..."

"Ooh!" She stuffed the flower directly into her mouth, bit it off, and slowly savored it.

Gan Yu has a naturally naive and simple-minded temperament, and her acting is so natural that even Xiao Yi, who made his fortune through deception, couldn't see through her act for a while.

He stared at Gan Yu with regret, then reached into his pocket and pulled out something—an apple-sized, high-end oak box, its intricately carved patterns a testament to its value.

Xiao Yi placed the box on the table, opened the lid, and a bright light shone on the faces of the three people.

On the cushion in the center of the box sits a pearl slightly larger than a cherry, its crystal-clear texture exceptionally beautiful, and it also emits a soft glow.

“I know Miss Gan Yu doesn’t eat meat. I just happened to find this luminous pearl inside the octopus and wanted to give it to you as a gift…” he explained solemnly, then sincerely wished, “I hope Miss Gan Yu recovers soon. Liyue Harbor can’t do without you.”

Gan Yu stared blankly at the pearl. This precious gift, coupled with Xiao Yi's words, made her forget her current mission. For a moment, her eyes were unable to leave the shimmering pearl.

Ke Qing was also caught up in the romantic atmosphere, but she quickly realized what was happening and reached out to close the box as a reminder to Gan Yu.

“Miss Gan Yu is in danger of accidentally ingesting jewelry in her current condition.” Ke Qing casually stuffed the wooden box into the inside pocket of her skirt. “I’ll keep it for her for now, and give the gift to her on your behalf once Gan Yu has recovered.”

Then Keqing called to the guards at the door: "Someone, bring over a plate of Qingxin."

A short while later, a plate of white flowers was placed next to the sweet flower.

A medicinal herb that is calming, low in sugar, and bitter.

Compared to sweet flowers, refreshing is not as palatable, but it is healthy and nutritious.

"Have something to calm your mind," Ke Qing coaxed like a child. "It's good for your health. After you eat it, you'll recover quickly and be able to go back to work."

"Mmm." Gan Yu nodded obediently, "Eating too much sweet flower can get a bit cloying."

She reached for Qingxin with her chopsticks, but just before they touched, she suddenly flung them away and grabbed the sweet flower from the next plate.

When the food was brought to her mouth, Gan Yu noticed something was wrong; her purplish-red pupils gradually constricted.

"Huh? Why..." Gan Yu muttered to herself in surprise, "I clearly put a refreshing filling in the bowl, but it turned into a sweet flower when I put it to my mouth?"

She put the sweet flower back on the plate, reached out with her chopsticks to pick up the refreshing treat, and then abruptly flung her hand away...

When the food was almost in her mouth, Gan Yu almost burst into tears: "Why is it Sweet Flower again? I'm doomed, I'm cursed, waaaaah..."

She sobbed as she stuffed food into her mouth, silently savoring the sweet and wonderful flavor.