Shenhe hesitated for a moment before saying, "My fate is one of cursed solitude; I am prone to harming those around me. Therefore, it is best if you do not stay too close to me."Jiang Yun smiled, looking completely unbothered. "I'm just standing near you, not tied to you. If you really try to hurt me, can't I just run away?"
Shenhe fell into silence once more.
"Fine. Since you are going to Wanmin Restaurant anyway, we may as well walk together."
Shenhe moved quickly, and before long, the two arrived at the restaurant. Xiangling wasn't there, so Jiang Yun didn't plan on staying long. He simply told Chef Mao he wanted to place an order.
"Here, Jiang Yun, your takeout is ready. Take it!"
Looking at the meal container Chef Mao held out, Jiang Yun didn't reach for it. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Since this is takeout, shouldn't someone deliver it to my hands?"
Chef Mao laughed. "That's true! Here, Shenhe, I'll leave it to you!"
Shenhe took the container and turned to hand it to Jiang Yun. "You're a strange man. You have quite an appetite, eating two portions by yourself."
"I don't have that big of an appetite. One of those is for you!"
Shenhe froze, then asked, "Did Ganyu ask you to do this?"
Jiang Yun smiled noncommittally. Shenhe took his silence as a confirmation and accepted one of the containers. "Thank you."
"How about we find a quiet place to eat before we get back to our respective work?" As he spoke, Jiang Yun silently activated the Reasonable Deception skill.
[Shenhe, Reasonableness: 70]
"Very well."
Shenhe's lack of refusal took Jiang Yun by surprise. Is it because I showed her some kindness just now?
One plan down, another began. As they sat under a secluded tree to eat, he said, "Shenhe, how about we have lunch like this every day from now on?"
[Shenhe, Reasonableness: 50]
Shenhe's expression instantly turned guarded. "Why?"
Seeing the value drop below 60, Jiang Yun began his deception. "Eating needs a companion. Eating alone is too boring."
"Don't you have many colleagues at Yujing Terrace?"
Jiang Yun replied without a hint of shame, "I'm a newcomer. I don't get along with them very well."
Shenhe: "I am even less skilled at interacting with others."
Jiang Yun grinned. "Then all the more reason to practice. I'll take this opportunity to help you train!"
Seeing Shenhe's silence, as if she were wavering, he seized the chance to continue. "Though it is quiet here, there are many Millelith nearby. You are indeed beautiful, Shenhe, but I won't try anything untoward."
"I am not worried about that." Shenhe shook her head. "You are a strange man, but you do not possess the ability to do such things to me."
[Shenhe, Reasonableness: 59]
Shenhe's Reasonableness was rising much faster than expected. He played a hand of 'retreat to advance.' "How about this? We'll just try meeting once more tomorrow?"
[Shenhe, Reasonableness: 60] (Shenhe has completely rationalized the Host's current behavior.)
Shenhe felt a stir in her heart. "Fine. I will wait for you here tomorrow."
"Then it's a deal!"
It has to be Shenhe—she's so easy to hoodwink!
Jiang Yun, having easily completed his second deception task, struggled to keep a straight face. He chatted idly with Shenhe until they finished lunch, then rose to leave. Shenhe remained seated, watching his departing back. Her usually cold, expressionless eyes seemed to flicker with an indescribable, complex hue.
Jade Chamber, Ningguang's Study.
Ningguang flipped through the documents before her, her snowy forehead lightly furrowed. "You mean to say Jiang Yun appeared out of thin air?"
"Yes!" A mature female voice came from behind a screen. "I haven't found a single trace of his history. It's illogical, but it's the truth. Of course, there are precedents..."
"Precedents?"
Ningguang remembered something. "Oh, right! Acting Grand Master Jean of Mondstadt mentioned in a letter that the girl named Lumine seems to be from another world. Jiang Yun might be the same..."
At this thought, Ningguang tapped a photo of Jiang Yun on her desk with her pipe. "In that case, Jiang Yun makes me even more curious to explore him..."
The voice behind the screen teased, "The end of curious exploration is often love. Surely you haven't fallen for him already, Ningguang?"
"Yelan, you're talking too much."
"I—"
Yelan was about to say more when a knock sounded at the door. Baishi's voice entered the room.
"Lady Ningguang, Lady Keqing's assistant, Jiang Yun, wishes to see you. He has a Jade Chamber invitation and is waiting at the main gate. Shall you go out to meet him?"
Ningguang paused. "Let him come straight in!"
"Very well, I shall tell—wait, Lady Ningguang? You mean you want him to enter the interior of the Jade Chamber?!"
Even Yelan, silent behind the screen, let out a surprised hum.
"Yes. Let him come straight in," Ningguang emphasized.
"Understood, Lady Ningguang! I will go invite him in at once!"
As Baishi's footsteps receded, Yelan's voice came from behind the screen again. "No wonder Baishi is surprised. The Millelith guarding the Jade Chamber are hand-picked, loyal, and reliable, yet even they can only patrol the exterior. And here you are, inviting Jiang Yun directly inside. Out of all the visitors to the Jade Chamber, he must be the first man to receive such treatment."
"Don't you want to meet him, Yelan?"
"No. I need to continue investigating him in secret. If I show my face now, it'll be inconvenient for future surveillance... I won't disturb your chat. Farewell, Ningguang."
Shortly after Yelan left, Jiang Yun was led into the study by Baishi.
"Baishi, you may go. You don't need to stand guard here."
"Yes, Lady Ningguang."
Once Baishi left, Ningguang looked at Jiang Yun with her usual friendly smile. "Jiang Yun, you've arrived sooner than I expected."
Jiang Yun was curious. "Ningguang, you were so certain I would come?"
"Of course! In Liyue, no one can refuse a promise from the Tianquan!" Ningguang turned her pipe, a proud smile on her face. "Though saying that myself might sound un-modest, it is the truth."
"You guessed right! I'm indeed here for that promise you made yesterday."
So eager? It seems someone from another world is only so-so after all... Ningguang mocked him in her mind, though her face remained kind. "Speak then. What do you want?"
Jiang Yun walked to Ningguang's side and whispered a few words into her snowy ear.
Ningguang's red eyes widened instantly. Her composed, friendly smile vanished. Her neck stiffened as she turned her head to stare deathly at Jiang Yun.
"What? Is Lady Ningguang afraid?"
Jiang Yun grinned wickedly, changing his tone. "If you're afraid, just go out and tell everyone in Liyue that the Tianquan's word doesn't actually mean anything!"
"You!"
"Me what? You were the one who said any request was fine! Right now, I'm not even asking for anything truly excessive. I'm being magnanimous, aren't I?"
Ningguang took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she weighed the pros and cons in her mind. Jiang Yun saw her hesitation and decided to give her a final push.
"You can rest assured, Lady Ningguang. Only you and I will know about this!"
"Fine! I accept..."
Ningguang slowly lifted her chin. Jiang Yun grinned and pulled out a collar and leash he had already prepared. Simultaneously, he activated his skill...
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Genshin Impact: My Skills Refresh Every Day(63 Chapter - Ongoing)
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