Zhongli looked at Keqing and said, "Let us drop this matter."
"Compared with me, Ningguang and I do know each other, but her relationship with your husband is clearly much closer. I…"
"Careful, Zhongli. My daughter-in-law is still right here," Ryou's father said.
"You shouldn't say things like that. If word gets out, people may misunderstand."
"Yes. I'll be more careful," Zhongli said.
Keqing said, "Zhongli-san, I'm afraid you're mistaken. My husband is still young, but he isn't blind."
"And you and Ningguang are both unmarried. You're talented, she's beautiful, and the two of you would make a fine match."
"If you married Ningguang, it would practically be a match made in heaven."
Ryou's father glanced at Keqing and said, "That makes sense."
"Keqing, isn't it still a little too early to bring this up?"
"Even if I were interested, Ningguang would never agree, so let us put this matter aside for now," Zhongli said.
"I can talk to her for you!" Keqing said at once.
"All right. If Zhongli isn't willing, there's no point in us forcing him," Ryou's father said.
"Still, I am curious. Even someone like Ningguang can't catch your eye? Then whose daughter have you taken a liking to?"
"There is no one," Zhongli said, shaking his head.
"No need to be so modest. If you like someone, I can simply ask her what she thinks."
"I may be getting on in years, but I still have some standing in Liyue Harbor," Ryou's father said.
"This…" Zhongli had no idea what to say.
Seeing Zhongli rendered speechless, Keqing almost laughed. So even Rex Lapis had moments like this.
With an identity like Rex Lapis, there truly might not be many people worthy of him.
But if she wanted to push Ningguang away, this was the safest plan. She just needed to find the right opportunity.
Once Ningguang became someone else's wife, let's see how she would keep clinging to Keqing's husband!
Keqing said, "Zhongli-san, since you don't want to say more, I won't ask."
"My husband and I haven't seen our friends since we came back, so I'm thinking of holding a small gathering at home."
"Come over for dinner tonight."
"That is no problem," Zhongli said, quietly relieved.
If Ryou's father had kept asking, Zhongli really would not have known how to respond.
Keqing was about to say more when Huixin, who was nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Wait… a gathering? Baiwen came by earlier, and Tabibito was here at the time too."
"Baiwen said Ningguang-sama is hosting a dinner at the Jade Chamber tonight."
"Ningguang is hosting a dinner?" Keqing asked.
She said that aloud, but her mind had already locked onto something else. Tabibito was still here.
That meant Lumine was still in the office. Ryou and Lumine were alone together in that office, and what they were doing was practically obvious.
Keqing had been talking outside for so long, yet neither of them had come out. That made some very unpleasant images flash through her mind.
Damn it. Lumine actually dared to make a move on her husband. Keqing was definitely going to deal with her later.
But with Zhongli and Ryou's father both present, Keqing could not say anything.
"Let's eat at our own home tonight," Ryou's father said. "Since it's a gathering with friends, eating at home will be more comfortable and relaxed."
"Also, Zhongli, you can use the chance to get to know Ningguang better."
"Cough, cough," Zhongli coughed.
"Zhongli, no need to react like that. If the two of you hit it off, then with Ningguang's personality, I doubt she would hide it," Ryou's father said with a smile.
Then he looked at Keqing and asked, "How did things go in Mondstadt?"
"Pretty well," Keqing said.
"That's good. Tell me about it later. I also need to ask that boy whether he…" Ryou's father seemed about to say something.
"I'll tell you now," Keqing suddenly said.
Keqing knew Ryou and Lumine were inside the office. Some things were fine as long as she knew them herself, but if rumors spread, it would become troublesome.
Even if everyone in the Ministry of Civil Affairs obeyed only her and Ryou's orders, there was no guarantee gossip would not leak out.
Keqing said, "The lottery sold extremely well in Mondstadt. Total sales reached eighteen million Mora!"
"E-Eighteen million Mora?" Ryou's father could hardly believe it. "Keqing, don't joke with me."
"He mentioned the lottery idea to his uncle before, and I knew about it too. The idea was good, but eighteen million Mora is…"
Before Keqing could explain, Huixin said in disbelief, "E-Eighteen million Mora? That's insane."
"Ryou- was away from Liyue for less than four days. He earned eighteen million Mora in only four days?"
"Hiss! Four days? Doesn't that mean he made over four million Mora a day? That's practically printing Mora!"
"Ryou is amazing!"
"I really regret not going with him. If I had seen it with my own eyes, I'd never forget it for the rest of my life!"
"Earning eighteen million Mora in four days… it's hard to even imagine," Zhongli said, deeply shaken.
He had heard Ryou mention a little about it before. At the time, he had only thought it was a decent idea, but probably unsuitable for Liyue Harbor.
Who would have thought Ryou would take the business straight to Mondstadt and reach eighteen million Mora in sales?
Ryou's father fell silent for a long while before saying, "That boy… actually managed to earn that much Mora? As expected of my son!"
"Indeed," Zhongli said, fully agreeing.
"After deducting all shares and concessions, the net profit should be thirteen million Mora. But the Mondstadt shop has already closed," Keqing said to Ryou's father.
"Thirteen million in net profit. That's around three million Mora a day. Very impressive. Far better than his uncle working himself half to death," Ryou's father said with a sigh.
Then he froze and looked at Keqing. "What did you just say? The shop closed?"
Keqing was about to explain when Huixin gasped. "Hiss, they closed it and came back just like that?"
"If they kept going, wouldn't they have been able to earn tens of millions more?"
"What is he thinking? That's basically giving up all that profit."
A middle-aged woman said worriedly, "Do you think this business can only last four days?"
Before Keqing could answer, Ryou's father looked at her and asked, "What happened?"
Keqing said, "Father, it's not that we didn't want to continue. The business simply drew too much attention. After that, there probably wouldn't have been many people left willing to buy."
"So he had Xingqiu close the shop. It seems they'll release some new products later, but I don't know the details."
Keqing truly admired Ryou in that regard.
Out of the corner of her eye, Keqing looked toward the office. She believed Ryou was not that kind of man.
But Ryou and Lumine had been alone in that office for far too long. The discussion outside had not exactly been quiet either.
How could he still not have come out?
Something was obviously wrong.
Even though Keqing trusted Ryou, she still could not stop herself from overthinking.
She had always hoped someone could help her shoulder the pressure, but from beginning to end, the only person Keqing had acknowledged was Ganyu.
As for the others, none of them were among her choices.
Lumine and Ningguang were people Keqing guarded against the most. Shenhe was the same.
People like Xiangling, at least, knew how to restrain themselves.
But those women barely bothered to hide it.
Lumine had once drawn her sword and tried to fight Keqing head-on. Shenhe was slightly better, though only because she did not understand many things and tended to think too simply.
But if someone told Shenhe she could win Ryou by defeating Keqing, Keqing was certain Shenhe would come charging in with her polearm.
Just thinking about those women gave Keqing a headache. Every one of them looked like they wanted to devour her husband.
Thankfully, Keqing had kept a close watch on Ryou, so nothing had gone wrong.
Ryou spent most of his time by her side, so she did not need to stay on guard every single day.
Keqing trusted Ryou on that point. Besides, he had spent quite a lot of time with Ganyu too, and nothing had happened between them, had it?
But still…
Keqing stared at the office door, unable to stop her thoughts from wandering.
Ryou's father said, "The child is grown now. He has his own ideas, so I won't say too much about that."
"I used to think he should go into business. If he really had, who knows how terrifying his success would be?"
"Then why didn't Ryou go into business?" Mona asked, seizing the chance.
Keqing saw Huixin tug on Mona's clothes. "Mona, don't interrupt."
Ryou's father glanced at Mona and said, "My son married Keqing, and one of the conditions was that he had to join the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
"I don't blame him for that. Besides… seeing the young couple so loving and happy puts me at ease."
"My son was able to marry a good woman like Keqing."
When Keqing heard Ryou's father bring this up, her entire face seemed to burn.
There were more than a dozen people in the Ministry of Civil Affairs looking over, and their gazes were almost too much for her to bear.
But when Keqing thought about everything Ryou had done for her, her heart felt sweet. After Ryou married her, he had treated her incredibly well.
He not only helped her manage the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but also cooked for her and cared for her in every possible way.
After marrying Ryou, Keqing's whole life had changed.
Before, Keqing had needed to deal with endless official matters. Afterward, she almost never had to handle paperwork anymore and could even stay home every day if she wanted.
A man like that was something one could only hope to meet by chance. Finding him was an incredible blessing.
Unfortunately, being too capable was not always a good thing.
Because Keqing simply could not handle him on her own. Otherwise, she would not have tried to drag Ganyu into this.
The moment Keqing thought of that, she snapped back to herself. She still had not pulled Ganyu in yet, and she would need to plan carefully later.
Those women all wanted to devour her husband.
The more Keqing thought about it, the angrier she became. Her husband was only a little handsome, a little capable, and a little talented in many things.
So why were they all so shamelessly throwing themselves at him?
Especially Lumine. That woman had said she came to Liyue Harbor to find her brother. Keqing had even helped her find him.
Yet Lumine still shamelessly stayed in Liyue Harbor, throwing away even her dignity.
Did she really think Keqing couldn't see through her feelings?
Bang!
A heavy sound suddenly came from the office, mixed with something strange.
Keqing's expression changed the instant she heard it.
Not good.
Something was about to happen!
[End of chapter]
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