The air froze once again, just as it had on the beach not long ago.
Lovia instinctively wanted to pull her Hood even lower and turn to run. But her feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move—partly because of Xiangling's enthusiasm, and partly because... Shenhe had already set down the plate and was walking toward her.
Is it because I corrected her wording earlier? Did she realize it was embarrassing and now she's coming to silence me? No, no, Shenhe isn't that kind of person... So, is she coming to say hello?
Shenhe stood still in front of her, still wearing that expressionless face, but her eyes held a bit less of the detachment from the beach and a bit more confusion.
"We meet again," Shenhe spoke, her voice remaining clear despite the noisy restaurant.
"Y-yes... W-what a coincidence..." Lovia felt her tongue tying into knots.
Xiangling leaned in, grinning as she patted Shenhe's shoulder. "Shenhe, this is Wanmin Restaurant's culinary consultant, Lovia! Lovia, this is Shenhe. She took some time off recently to handle some matters and just came back to work today... Wait, you two know each other?"
Lovia: "..."
More than just knowing her—they had just had an exhausting first social encounter at the beach.
Shenhe nodded and said to Xiangling, "We met once at the seaside just now."
"Oh—!" Xiangling realized, her smile growing even brighter. "Then it's even more of a fated connection! Shenhe is helping out here now as part of... well, her training to integrate into the mortal world! Right, Shenhe?"
Shenhe nodded again. "Master said that one must personally experience the various aspects of civilian life."
Listening to the two of them, Lovia slowly snapped out of her shock. That was right; the original plot did seem to have a segment like this, where Shenhe worked at Wanmin Restaurant to learn how to interact with people. It was just that Lovia hadn't run into her when she visited before, and combined with the confusion after transmigrating and not seeing her at Wanmin Restaurant until now, she hadn't recalled it immediately.
No wonder she said, "There are other matters within Liyue Harbor." It turns out she was coming to work!
Thinking this way, Lovia's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
At least here, Shenhe was "Shenhe the worker," "Shenhe the corporate slave." That closed the distance instantly, didn't it?
"I-I see..." Lovia responded dryly.
"Will the guest be dining?" Shenhe looked at her, naturally slipping into her role as a Wanmin Restaurant worker, though her tone was still flat. "Today's recommendation is the new dish, 'boiled black-back bass.' The texture is smooth and tender; perhaps you could try it."
Being asked for an order by Shenhe with such a serious attitude felt incredibly bizarre to Lovia, yet she also felt a strange sense of, "Ah, she's really trying her best."
"I-I'll have one rising mist, and one Frosty Love Song..." Lovia instinctively recited the dish names.
Shenhe: "?"
Does Wanmin Restaurant have these two dishes?
Shenhe tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with pure confusion. She clearly hadn't seen these two dishes on the Wanmin Restaurant menu.
Xiangling, standing nearby, burst out laughing and quickly waved her hand. "Oh, Shenhe, Lovia is our culinary consultant. I'll handle her order. You just help me look after the other guests!"
Hearing this, Shenhe nodded to the two of them and turned without hesitation, carrying an empty tray toward another table where a guest was waving. Her posture was still ethereal, seemingly out of place with the surrounding clamor, yet her movements were already quite practiced.
Xiangling looked at Shenhe's back and whispered to Lovia, "Shenhe is a very good person. It's just that sometimes she can be... a bit direct. Don't mind her."
"I don't mind, I don't mind..." Lovia waved her hands quickly. She naturally knew Shenhe's personality, so how could she mind? It was just her social anxiety acting up before.
Lovia watched Shenhe's back as she meticulously recorded a guest's order. She found a corner seat and sat down, watching Shenhe's busy figure in the restaurant with a complex mood.
She watched her wipe the tables with a slight lack of experience but extreme seriousness; she watched her carry a high stack of bowls and plates into the kitchen with steady ease; she watched her respond to guests' inquiries with brief but earnest answers.
The Shenhe before her seemed to gradually overlap with the cold and aloof figure on the beach, with the character she had given a somewhat "selfish" interpretation in "for whom the love trap is set," and with the character from the game—yet a new image seemed to be peeling away.
It felt very real.
A strange sensation began to grow in Lovia's heart.
Just then, Shenhe walked over with the dishes she had ordered. She placed the plates steadily on the table, then looked up at her. Seeing that this guest was still wrapped in that hooded cloak even while eating, a faint trace of confusion seemed to flash in Shenhe's eyes, but in the end, she asked nothing, only saying calmly, "Please enjoy your meal."
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