Keqing was stunned. "A... a girlfriend?"
Could it be Ningguang?!
"Really?" Yanfei asked, astonished.
Does Qin Yu have that kind of... tendency?
Hu Tao always stirs up trouble at times like these! Qin Yu thought irritably. And a girlfriend is even less likely—I'm a woman myself, after all! Not that women are inherently incapable of...
In short, it's absolutely impossible.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible," Qin Yu said, shaking her head.
"Completely possible," Hu Tao countered with a nod.
Where's the evidence?!
Hu Tao chuckled. "After all, Fishy Treasure, you're incredibly beautiful. Even women might be drawn to you."
And she's so kind and hardworking, Keqing thought.
And so understanding, Yanfei mused.
The more they considered Qin Yu's virtues, the harder it became to dismiss the possibility. On the contrary, Qin Yu's perfect qualities seemed likely to captivate anyone, regardless of gender.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that—"
Qin Yu's heart fluttered with delight at the compliment, but she quickly regained her composure, a blush rising on her cheeks. "Thank you for saying that, but it's simply not true. Please don't misunderstand."
Evaluation: D- (Hu Tao)
Hearing Qin Yu's firm denial, Keqing and Yanfei felt relieved.
Good she doesn't—
Good?
This wasn't exactly a good thing, was it? People need companionship, after all. But... well, she and Qin Yu were childhood friends, and they had promised never to leave each other's side. Of course they wouldn't let her be alone.
Thinking this, Keqing felt a surge of motivation.
"I see. That's alright, Qin Yu. Even if you don't have a partner, I'll always be here for you," Keqing said, flicking her ponytail and smiling naturally.
"Mm."
I'm not even looking for one, but you're saying it like I'm completely incapable of finding someone! Qin Yu maintained a polite smile, inwardly seething at Keqing's remark.
"Me too!" Yanfei chimed in. "Besides, sometimes friendship is far more comfortable than romance. Take my friend, for example. She recently got married, and now there's constant wailing and shouting. The only time she can truly relax is when she's out eating with us friends. I just hope things don't escalate to the point where legal experts like me need to get involved," Yanfei sighed, rubbing her temples.
The conversation had suddenly taken a starkly realistic turn.
Maybe they just haven't met the right person yet?
Just... settling for a life together. The very phrase sounded utterly bleak.
Hu Tao, her expression serious, declared, "If it ever comes to a point where the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor needs to step in, this Director guarantees we'll give it our all and never let you down!"
Stop pulling such earnest pranks!
"I really don't think it'll come to that..." Yanfei said with a wry smile.
Hu Tao grinned. "You never know! But speaking of which, Fishy Treasure, you said you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, so why does it seem like you're living with someone? Could it be... have you fallen for someone?"
"Is that true?" Keqing asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Is that really the case?" Yanfei echoed, equally astonished.
Ugh, enough already!
Why do they always jump to conclusions like that? Can't it just be that someone stayed over? Qin Yu sighed inwardly.
"No, it's not like that," Qin Yu explained with a smile. "It rained really hard yesterday, so Shenhe couldn't get back and ended up staying the night."
That's all there is to it.
Though Shenhe had rambled on about all sorts of things, and Qin Yu had... well, embarrassed herself a few times, nothing else happened.
Keqing murmured, "So it was her."
"It really did pour last night. I couldn't even go out," Yanfei chimed in, her eyes widening in realization. She accepted Qin Yu's explanation but couldn't help wondering what it would be like to stay over at Qin Yu's place herself.
Now do you finally understand? Honestly. Qin Yu felt a twinge of exhaustion.
"Then the clothes on the balcony are hers too?" Yanfei asked.
"Yes," Qin Yu confirmed.
Yanfei chuckled in relief. "I thought they looked familiar! Has Shenhe gone home already?"
"Mm-hmm, it's getting late, after all."
Good, the conversation is finally back on track.Back on track? What kind of track is this anyway? But at least things were back to normal. Qin Yu felt a surge of satisfaction.
Hu Tao always had a knack for saying the unexpected. This time was no exception.
"So, you stayed the night at her place? Lucky! I've never even done that. Hey, Fishy Treasure, why don't you let This Director stay over at your place too?" Hu Tao asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Keqing's eyes widened slightly, while Yanfei let out a startled "Eh?"
Qin Yu frantically shook her head inwardly.
No! Absolutely not!
Even without considering any special circumstances, who knew what Hu Tao might do if she stayed over? She was dangerous, completely unlike Shenhe, so it was out of the question.
"Well, this is..."
But she couldn't just outright refuse. Objectively, there was no reason to deny Hu Tao's request, so the problem lay in her subjective feelings.
Without a convincing excuse that Hu Tao would believe, her answer would easily be interpreted as personal dislike—especially since Shenhe had stayed over before.
Although that had been under special circumstances, refusing Hu Tao might inadvertently create a hierarchy:
Shenhe—allowed.
Hu Tao—denied.
In reality, Qin Yu wanted neither of them to stay over.
If Shenhe were to ask for another night's stay, Qin Yu was certain she would still refuse.
I need to tread carefully here... How should I answer? Qin Yu's mind raced as she instinctively touched her bracelet, and a sudden inspiration struck.
She looked at Keqing, silently sending her a telepathic plea:
"Keqing, help me out!" Qin Yu hoped her childhood friend could hear her heart's plea. If not, she'd likely get angry again.
Keqing noticed Qin Yu's gaze, sensing something was amiss. After a moment's thought, she spoke up on Qin Yu's behalf:
"Director Hu Tao, let's discuss this another time? Qin Yu needs to wake up early for work tomorrow, and having someone stay over might disturb her rest."
Wow, she actually did it!
Evaluation: C+ (Keqing)
Qin Yu was deeply moved, having doubted Keqing could sense or understand her feelings. It seemed the "magic" she'd cast on the bracelet earlier had been effective after all.
Hu Tao nodded amiably. "Hmm, fair enough. Let's talk about it later then."
"Thank you!" Qin Yu telepathically conveyed her gratitude to Keqing again.
Regrettably, Keqing didn't receive this transmission—or rather, she didn't even notice it.
Staying overnight at Qin Yu's place... I haven't done that since we were kids. I wonder... if I suggested it, would she agree?
Keqing imagined staying overnight at Qin Yu's place and was certain it would be a delightful evening.
I'll ask again later, she thought.
Yanfei was thinking the same thing. Staying overnight at Qin Yu's house? That sounds fun! We could talk more than usual, even... sleep together.
But asking privately felt too embarrassing. This group setting seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Yanfei cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Actually... I'd also like to stay overnight at Qin Yu's one night! But Miss Keqing makes a good point. We'll have to ask you how you feel about it another time."
Evaluation: D (Yanfei)
Eh... Why?
Why do you two keep wanting to stay over? Don't you have your own homes?
Qin Yu was utterly bewildered. Could it be that staying over is really that appealing? I don't see the appeal myself—it's just chaotic. At least Yanfei's sensible and didn't insist on staying tonight.
Of course, I have no intention of agreeing to this in the future either.
Keqing was astonished. How come they both want to stay over? Though, I want to as well... But now wasn't the right time to mention it. She'd have to find another chance to ask Qin Yu privately.
Let's not dwell on that for now.
"Oh, by the way, Qin Yu, do you have any free time later?" Keqing asked with a smile.
"I do, but why?" Qin Yu replied, puzzled.
I need to return to the Jade Chamber tonight, but I have some time before then.
Is Keqing asking because there's something she wants me to do?
"I was just thinking we could go out and have some fun. I recently discovered a nice shop, so we could check it out together. What do you think?" Keqing said candidly.
The main reason she had come to visit was to spend some alone time with Qin Yu and then invite her out shopping. Unfortunately, they had guests.
But since she had already decided to do this, there was no reason to hesitate, even with others present.
Go out... I could do that for a while.
Just as Qin Yu was about to agree, Hu Tao grabbed her hand and grinned. "Going out to play? Count me in! I was planning to take Fishy Treasure for a stroll, but I never expected this... Well, it must be fate!"
Keqing felt slightly annoyed.
She had wanted to go out alone with Qin Yu.
"Huh? You two as well?" Yanfei asked, surprised. "I was also planning to go out with Qin Yu. Since that's the case, why don't we all go together?"
Another person? Keqing felt even more conflicted and glanced at Qin Yu.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Woah, what's going on? Why is everyone suddenly asking me to hang out at the same time? Qin Yu was utterly puzzled, but no matter how she thought about it, it had to be a coincidence.
What an annoying coincidence.
Still, she could only give one answer.
"I think it'd be more fun if we all went together!" Qin Yu said with a smile.