"Old lady?"
Xu Zheng paused to think. After a moment, he remembered a watermelon vendor granny they'd spoken to a while back.
Last time, she'd told him about getting scammed by some blond punk. Xu Zheng had introduced her to Yanfei and told her: "Just say Xu Zheng sent you."
Now, he asked, "So? I recommended you. How'd it go?"
Yanfei smirked with pride. "Perfectly handled, of course."
Xu Zheng didn't even look at her. He turned to Ganyu instead.
"Master, does Liyue have any kind of anti-fraud campaigns?"
Back on Earth, scams were everywhere. Students and the elderly were always the main targets—especially low-income students with scraped-together tuition, or seniors with their life savings.
People would be driven to ruin, even suicide. Meanwhile, sleazy crooks pushed miracle supplements that not only didn't work—they made things worse.
And yet, old folks believed. They stopped taking their meds, thinking snake oil would cure them. They got sick. Some never recovered.
Scammers were the cancer of society. Everyone would get old someday.
On Earth, governments had developed apps, departments, and awareness campaigns to tackle this plague.
But here in Liyue?
Xu Zheng doubted they even had an app store.
Still, maybe someday, every citizen could have their own personal anti-fraud hotline.
"Huh?" Ganyu blinked, her brain kicking into overdrive.
She had worked in Liyue for a thousand years. She knew every department like the back of her hand.
"No. We've never had anything like that," she admitted.
"We should," Xu Zheng said. "We could create a department to educate students and the elderly. Teach them the common scam tactics. Raise awareness. We can't stop bad people from existing, but we can make their jobs harder."
That kicked off an intense back-and-forth between the two.
Well—more like a one-sided firestorm. Ganyu asked relentless, high-level questions. Xu Zheng handled them all with poise, offering practical, even visionary solutions.
Yanfei, quietly sipping her milkshake, could only sit in stunned silence.
As Liyue's top legal expert, she'd always taken pride in her work—bringing justice, serving the people, upholding fairness.
She knew the law inside and out. She thought that was enough.
But listening to Xu Zheng today?
She realized her worldview was small.
Tiny.
Miniscule.
She'd helped one old lady. Felt good about it.
Xu Zheng looked at the same situation and saw entire vulnerable populations at risk.
She was playing checkers. He was playing interdimensional, multiverse-grade 5D chess.
True vision.
And she was jealous.
So this is why Ganyu—normally as emotionally available as a glacier—took him as a disciple.
If she had met him first, he would've been her disciple!
Then it clicked.
Why does Xu Zheng call me "Auntie"... but calls Xiangling and Eula "Sister"?
Because "Auntie" = same rank as "Master."
Meanwhile, "Sister" = lower rank.
He was clearly hinting he wanted her to be his master!
A flawless theory, if you ignored all the flaws.
Which she did.
But now...
Was she even worthy to be his master?
Xu Zheng's vision, his cooking—was she even in his league?
Yanfei's confidence wobbled. She spiraled into self-doubt.
"I'll file the paperwork tonight," Ganyu said. "Liyue will have its first anti-fraud department."
"I… I want to join!" Yanfei blurted. "I'll start from the bottom. I can be a junior clerk!"
Ganyu nearly dropped her teacup.
This was Liyue's top lawyer. Her legal prowess was legendary—even Ningguang herself used Yanfei's rulings to patch Liyue's legislative loopholes.
Having her start as a low-level desk jockey?
That'd be like using a Vision to light a campfire.
Still, she understood Yanfei wasn't joking.
So Ganyu gave her the title of Special Legal Consultant to the Anti-Fraud Department.
Yanfei nodded solemnly. Then she turned to Xu Zheng… with eyes that gleamed.
Hungry.
Dangerously intrigued.
Xu Zheng suddenly felt very unsafe.
"Yanfei's broken," he whispered. "She's malfunctioning."
Ganyu shivered.
Somewhere in her ancient instincts, a red flag went up.
Another love rival has appeared.
...
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit private room…
Three shady figures sat around a table. A fat merchant. A blond punk. And a man who looked like a petty thief.
On the table: ice cream and bubble tea.
Some people died, but not completely...