"Hmph. You bully. You only know how to pick on me. Can't you let me rest for once?"
Keqing hugged Ryou's arm and gave it a little shake, acting cute.
She'd already skipped the Ministry of Civil Affairs for a full day. Sure, Ryou had dealt with everything, but people were bound to mutter behind her back. One day might pass, but if it dragged on, it would look bad.
Besides…
What kind of Liyue Qixing stays home all the time "recovering"?
"Fine, fine," Ryou said, brushing her cheek with a soft, doting look. "You rest. Tonight, I'll do the work."
Keqing: ???
That's not what I meant!
Keqing glared at him, turned her face away, and refused to speak.
Because she knew exactly what he meant. And there was no way this guy was letting her off tonight.
Ryou just smiled, wrapped an arm around her, and guided her toward Liuli Pavilion.
Liuli Pavilion was an old, famous place in Liyue Harbor. It had been competing with Xinyue Kiosk for years. Both were excellent, and neither could really claim a clear win. Their reputations were high, and the rich loved them—so even with their prices, the place was still packed.
They followed the road over and spotted Xingqiu and the others talking nearby.
Ryou paused the moment he saw him.
Wait… why is Xingqiu here?
And then it hit him.
Xingqiu is my cousin?
That honestly surprised him. The Feiyun Commerce Guild behind Xingqiu carried serious weight in Liyue Harbor. No wonder his father wanted him to get into business—having that kind of backing would make things much easier.
And if he had to guess, this connection probably came from his mother's side.
At this point, he was basically Liyue Harbor royalty.
When they reached the steps, Ryou caught Hu Tao's voice mid-conversation with Xingqiu.
He'd only gone up one step when he heard her say, "So what if he's married?Married men can't be stolen? After you get married, you're inseparable for a few days. Then things cool off."
"And your cousin looks way too good. But I've heard the storytellers—men that handsome are usually trouble. Two-timing, three-timing… who knows?"
"If you play it right, stealing someone's man is easy."
"Oh! That reminds me—there's a sailor down at the docks named Chaoxi. You probably haven't heard of him, but I heard he tried to juggle two women and got wrecked for it."
"They dragged him to Bubu Pharmacy. Wanna know what they did? I heard they stitched a certain… spot shut."
"And Baizhu usually squeezes Mora like crazy, right? This time he didn't even charge him!"
"Hu Tao, stop!" Xiangling hurriedly grabbed her arm. She'd noticed Xingqiu and Lumine's expression getting stranger by the second.
"Hey, come on," Hu Tao said, slipping out of Xiangling's grip. "It's all over Liyue Harbor. Ask around."
Then she added, "Anyway, I'm telling you—your cousin might not be a good man at all. So yeah. We've all got a chance."
"Really?"
A voice spoke from behind her.
"Of course," Hu Tao said without thinking. "Why would I li—"
She turned around.
And her eyes went wide.
"K-Keqing?! Why are you here?!"
Hu Tao went pale and stumbled back a few steps, then ducked behind Xiangling like she could disappear.
Lumine covered her forehead.
She'd noticed Keqing and Ryou earlier. She just hadn't had time to warn Hu Tao before her mouth ran ahead of her brain.
Now what?
This one was completely on Hu Tao.
Badmouthing someone and getting caught on the spot—there was no saving it.
"Director Hu Tao," Keqing said, staring at her without a shred of politeness. "I know my husband better than anyone."
"You think it's appropriate to smear him like that?"
"Sounds like I need to send people to check the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—top to bottom."
"And next time you're out 'promoting your services,' try not to get reported."
"Otherwise I'll lock you up for a month."
"This time, even if Zhongli-san shows up, you're not going anywhere."
Keqing's tone was sharp for a reason.
Ryou was her husband. If this kind of talk spread and people started getting the wrong idea, how was she supposed to deal with it?
No. Hu Tao wasn't getting off easy.
Xingqiu stood there, stunned, before it finally sank in.
Keqing—the one woman half of Liyue Harbor dreamed about—was…
His cousin's wife?
[End of chapter]
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