At a distance, atop the teaching building.
Xia Ci and Xia Zhen were leaning against the railing, watching the events unfolding at the school gates through a pair of binoculars.
"Cousin's forced-to-work expression is just too funny."
"I think he looks pretty good dressed like that."
"Doesn't cousin look good in anything?"
"..."
"Here comes another strange woman. Let me see what she's saying to Charlotte…"
"Wait, how did you even learn to read lips?"
"That's not important. Hmm, turns out she's the Chief Editor of The Steambird? What's an Chief Editor doing in Liyue? Came here looking for a big scoop? Definitely something's off."
"I think you're being way too paranoid. She's just a regular woman who happened to show up by cousin's side."
"You don't understand, she just looked at cousin a little longer than usual."
"..."
--
On another rooftop.
Xiao stood alone, letting the wind blow through his hair as he looked down at the bustling crowd below.
The Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper stood below, looking up at him and calling, "Xiao, come down here."
The small figure of Xiao appeared, his form blurring slightly before landing on the ground.
His tone remained as cold as ever. "What is it?"
"The Yun-Han Troupe is already setting up the stage. We're going to grab front-row seats to watch the play."
"You can go ahead. No need to call me."
"Come on, just go with us."
"I'm not really interested…"
"But it's a play that Mr. Xia helped guide for Miss Yun Jin. I also brought plenty of snacks Mr. Xia personally made from Xiangling…"
"Fine, let's go."
The snacks didn't really matter to Xiao. He just wanted to see how Mr. Xia's revised play sounded.
--
Actually, the entire building ceremony process was pretty much the same as the last time at the Jade Chamber banquet.
It was all about touring, eating, and watching the play.
By the time all the invited guests had arrived, Xia Zhi was finally free from his duties at the gate.
"Mr. Zhongli, let's go. Time to watch the play."
"Mm."
Zhongli also seemed a bit relieved.
He had clearly already retired…
When they reached the stage, Xia Zhi found his seat.
As usual, he was seated next to the Goddess and the Divine Lady.
The only difference was that the Divine Lady's other half was seated next to her as well.
The four gods sat beneath the stage, eagerly watching the performance. Miss Yun Jin's new play still carried some weight.
It was certainly much grander than that large theater in Fontaine.
Charlotte stood in a suitable position, continuing to take photos of Xia Zhi.
Somehow, Euphrasie appeared behind her again and tapped her shoulder.
Charlotte jumped in surprise.
"Wow! Chief Editor Euphrasie! How do you walk without making a sound?"
"You were just too focused. What were you taking pictures of?"
"Just... capturing the lively scenes."
"Is that so? I thought you were only photographing Principal Xia. I almost thought you'd changed from being a special correspondent to a paparazzi."
"Impossible."
Charlotte chuckled awkwardly, offering a weak defense.
To be honest, the things she had been doing these days were somewhat related to paparazzi work.
But she had no choice—Lady Ningguang was fond of this kind of thing.
Charlotte couldn't help but wonder if the Liyue Newspaper Agency had been established for the sole purpose of stirring up rumors between herself and Mr. Xia, just as Lady Ningguang had always tried to do...
But now that she thought about it, with someone as outstanding as Mr. Xia—who was not only a great cook but also had such a charming personality—it made sense that Lady Ningguang would fall for him.
---
The school's playground was huge, and today, the Yunhan Troupe was performing on it.
Charlotte stood on the second floor of the teaching building, leaning against the railing, as she carefully opened the letter in her hand and read each word, taking it all in.
There was nothing important.
Just some concerned words from her parents.
But it was enough to make the young girl stare off into the distance, lost in thought.
The Yunhan Troupe's performance was fantastic, and a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted across the playground.
Charlotte lowered her head for a moment, changed her stance, and unconsciously tapped her left foot lightly against the ground, before once again turning her gaze to the horizon.
The louder the celebration from the crowd, the more it highlighted her solitude.
Especially in moments like this when everything suddenly quieted down.
She couldn't help but wonder what Editor Euphrasie was filming now.
Her thoughts drifted, and Charlotte found herself thinking back to earlier days.
Her father had also been a journalist, and quite a renowned one at that. He specialized in documenting wildlife ecosystems and was known in the industry as the "Wild Life Reporter."
Perhaps because of her father's influence, Charlotte had shown an exceptional interest and talent for "observation" from a young age. On her tenth birthday, her father had gifted her a custom-made kamera as a birthday present. From then on, she often accompanied her father, wandering the streets and alleys of Fontaine, as well as the riversides, capturing countless beautiful and moving photographs with two kameras—one large and one small.
Later, these photos were sent to The Steambird, and once they were published, they caused a huge stir in the photography world of Fontaine. This was when Charlotte first gained fame.
As Charlotte became known for her exceptional photography skills, she was frequently visited by commission agents, magazine editors, scrapbook collectors, and colleagues from her father's circle of reporters. Among them was also Ms. Euphrasie, the Chief Editor of The Steambird.
Charlotte still remembered the scene of their first meeting.
Ms. Euphrasie had expressed her intentions directly—she wanted Charlotte to become a special correspondent, where she would not only take photographs but also conduct interviews and write articles.
However, Charlotte's father, who had always been kind-hearted, firmly opposed Charlotte taking the position. He didn't want his daughter to deal with people who either harbored ulterior motives or who were insincere.
Her father, an experienced journalist who had been in the industry for many years, knew how murky this profession could be.
While he respected his daughter's choices, he also wanted her to live a simple and happy life, avoiding the murky depths of human nature.
But youth, of course, is filled with courage.
The next day, Charlotte appeared at the door of The Steambird newspaper office. Under Editor Euphrasie's guidance, she smoothly began working there.
Thus, the young girl's legendary career began.
To uncover the truth, she once disguised herself as a beggar and infiltrated the kitchen of a fraudulent food company, working as a laborer for six months. After gathering enough firsthand material, she wrote a report exposing their actions, which was published in the newspaper.
The article received an overwhelming response, and the fraudulent food company was punished. However, their retaliation soon followed. Every time Charlotte came home, she would find a threatening letter on her nightstand, and the entrance to the newspaper office was always smeared with mud... The newspaper quickly reported it to the police, and Charlotte was sent on a business trip to another region for protection. It was a long time before she returned to Fontaine.
Such incidents happened many times.
She had no idea how Editor Euphrasie managed to handle everything...
Charlotte's thoughts wandered aimlessly.
Until she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Charlotte turned her head.
Euphrasie smiled as she walked up to Charlotte and handed back the kamera.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me."
As soon as the kamera was back in her hands, the girl, who had seemed a bit melancholic before, instantly became full of energy again.
"Euphrasie, how long will you be staying in Liyue?"
"Not too long, I'll be heading back in a couple of days."
"That soon? I was planning on showing you around, Liyue is so much fun, and there's so much delicious food."
"I appreciate the offer, but I have some personal matters to take care of. Oh, by the way, I actually have some good news for you."
"Good news?"
"You should be able to return next month."
"?!"
"Why the surprise?"
"No, it's just that..."
Euphrasie smiled gently.
"Don't forget, our newspaper has some backing."
"But... aren't those people pretty... forceful?"
"Heh, our paper's backing is stronger than theirs, it's just that she can't come forward."
"Then..."
"The reason we sent you out here was to protect you. We were worried that someone might cause trouble, but those people have probably already been dealt with."
"…I understand."
Charlotte nodded lightly.
It seemed that Editor Euphrasie still had other matters, so after chatting for a bit more, she took her leave.
Charlotte leaned against the second-floor railing and looked down at the people on the playground.
There were many friends she had made since coming to Liyue.
Mr. Xia, Zhu Zi, Diona, Qiqi, Shenhe, Yaoyao...
She would miss them if she went back.
Charlotte looked for a while, then picked up the kamera in her hand and snapped a few pictures of everyone.
The inauguration ceremony was successfully completed, and all the guests were pleased.
Charlotte returned to the Liyue Newspaper with the various photos she had taken today.
After all, she was still the Chief Editor.