Even though… her fiancé, right in front of her, had "secrets" with another woman—and even exchanged knowing looks…
Shenhe silently recited the Qingxin Mantra in her heart.
After all, they were not yet formally married.
For now… she would choose to forgive him.
But if such a thing were to happen again after they were officially wed…
The hand hanging by her side tightened almost imperceptibly.
Then… perhaps someone would need to use their head
to properly measure just how hard the ground really was.
The two of them returned to the villa without further conversation.
Yi Chen carried the groceries with one hand and pushed the door open with the other—
Only to see Lumine sprawled lazily across the sofa without the slightest concern for posture, while Paimon was curled up in her arms like a small pillow. Both of them looked utterly burned out.
Hearing the door, Paimon weakly lifted her head and glanced over.
"Oh… mysterious crash guy, you're back… huh? You even bought groceries? And… who's this white-haired big sister?"
Lumine lazily raised her eyes as well. When she saw Shenhe's unique aura and appearance, curiosity flashed briefly across her gaze—but exhaustion won out, and she merely nodded in greeting.
Shenhe's eyes calmly swept over the two on the sofa. She paused briefly on Lumine—another woman—before returning her gaze to Yi Chen, silently questioning him.
Yi Chen smiled and introduced them.
"Senior Sister, these two are the Traveler Lumine and her companion Paimon. They're staying here temporarily.
Lumine, Paimon—this is my senior sister from my cultivation days in Liyue. Her name is Shenhe."
Paimon floated up slightly and muttered under her breath,
"Why is it another girl… mysterious crash guy, you really have way too many female acquaintances…"
Before she could finish, Lumine swiftly covered her mouth.
Shenhe inclined her head slightly toward the sofa.
"Sorry to intrude."
Her gaze swept across the living room once more—a space clearly marked by another woman's presence—before finally settling on Yi Chen's face.
Her expression remained calm.
But somehow, the pressure in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Yi Chen, completely oblivious, carried the groceries into the kitchen, humming cheerfully.
"Rest for a bit! I'll cook tonight—consider it a welcome dinner!"
Shenhe followed silently behind him, like a perfectly quiet shadow.
On the sofa, Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance.
From each other's eyes, they both sensed something strange…
A chill?
And… the faint thrill of watching a show unfold?
That night, after a lavish dinner, Lumine yawned, dragged the still-complaining "I'm not full yet" Paimon upstairs, and promptly disappeared—leaving the entire downstairs space to Yi Chen and the white-haired senior sister who felt distinctly dangerous.
Shenhe sat quietly on the soft sofa, her gaze slowly moving across the spacious, comfortable villa.
Moonlight spilled through the windows, coating the furniture in a gentle silver glow.
"Junior brother's home," she said softly.
"It is… very nice. Very comfortable."
Yi Chen, tidying up the dishes, looked up and smiled casually.
"Oh? This place? It's not really my home."
He wiped his hands and sat down on the single sofa beside her.
"It belongs to a friend you met earlier today—the blue-haired cavalry captain, Kaeya. He rented it temporarily for me.
As for my own house…"
He paused, then shrugged.
"…well, I had some bad luck recently. It got hit by Stormterror—uh, Dvalin—by accident. One wind blast, and boom. Gone. Probably not even a whole brick left."
He said it lightly, as if talking about the weather—not about his extremely expensive property being completely obliterated.
But to Shenhe…
It was thunder.
Her pupils shrank sharply. The already cold aura around her instantly plunged into bone-chilling frost.
Even the temperature in the living room seemed to drop.
"Gone…?" she repeated, every word edged with ice.
She slowly turned her head, eyes locking onto Yi Chen, filled with disbelief, lingering fear—and raging fury.
She suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist with startling force.
"You mean… your previous residence… was destroyed?"
She enunciated each word carefully, as if confirming she had heard correctly.
"And you… were you inside?"
She couldn't even imagine it.
Her junior brother—her responsibility, her protection, her betrothed—
Had faced something so dangerous. The house was destroyed—what about him?!
Even though Yi Chen was perfectly fine in front of her now, the mere thought of what could have happened made the violent aura inside her nearly overwhelm the red ropes restraining it.
Yi Chen was startled by her reaction and the tangible killing intent, and hurried to explain.
"No, no! Senior Sister, don't get worked up! I wasn't inside!
I'd just bought the place—I hadn't moved in yet! It was empty! Completely empty! I'm totally fine, see?"
He quickly stretched his arms and legs to prove it.
Hearing "empty" and "unharmed," the terrifying pressure around Shenhe eased slightly—but her grip on his wrist didn't loosen.
She examined him carefully from head to toe. Only after confirming there were no injuries did her tense body finally relax.
But her anger did not disappear.
It merely found a new target.
"Stormterror… Dvalin…"
So that was the one who had harmed her junior brother?
Yi Chen immediately sensed trouble and rushed to clarify.
"Senior Sister, listen—Dvalin was being controlled by the Abyss Order at the time! It wasn't his fault!
He's awake now, and we've cleared everything up. We're actually friends now! Really!"
Shenhe fell silent, processing this information.
After a long moment, she raised her head. The ice in her eyes softened slightly—but her sense of responsibility and possessiveness only became clearer.
"Even if it was not intentional, the danger was real."
"This place does not belong to you. It is not suitable for long-term residence, nor is it sufficiently secure."
She tightened her hold on his hand instead and looked straight into his eyes, making her decision.
"Tomorrow, I will find a larger, sturdier, absolutely safe residence."
"This matter—leave it to me."
Her tone left no room for discussion.
If her fiancé's home had been destroyed, then as his future wife, arranging a safer and better home was only natural.
And while she was at it…
Certain unnecessary occupants
(such as the Traveler upstairs and the floating creature)
could be politely… escorted out.
Yi Chen: "???"
Wait.
How did things end up like this?!