Ryou and Keqing passed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and saw that the place had already been cleared out. The Millelith were standing guard, but it was obvious nobody would be working there tomorrow. They'd need to figure out a temporary workspace.
"You're thinking about where to relocate the Ministry staff, aren't you?" Keqing asked as she walked beside him.
"Yeah." Ryou nodded.
"Then move them to Yujing Terrace. There's still an area up there that's kept in reserve for emergencies. It's just… not many people can get in, so it's ended up staying empty over time. Tomorrow I'll ask Ganyu to help arrange it. What happened today isn't her fault—at the time, I just couldn't say much. So tomorrow, help her out a little more, alright?"
Keqing hesitated before saying it, but she still did. She genuinely hoped Ganyu and Ryou would end up together. If they spent more time around each other, that could only be a good thing. And if they really clicked… life would get a whole lot easier for her.
Ryou treated her so well. Emotionally and logically, she should be thinking about him too.
Because bottling it up forever wasn't healthy. If she could personally deal with all the side effects herself, she'd never even consider "recruiting help."
But the truth was, she couldn't.
When Ryou went all-out, she simply couldn't hold the line.
Out of everyone she knew, Ganyu was easily the best option. The only problem was her husband had the emotional awareness of a block of wood. He was sharp at work, handled official matters like a pro, and could be clever about a hundred different things—but when she'd hinted at this again and again, he still didn't get it.
How?
"Works for me." Ryou didn't really care where the paperwork got done, so he agreed.
Not long after they got home, Ryou's mother rushed over in a panic. The moment she walked in, she grabbed him and inspected him from head to toe, anxiety all over her face.
"Where are you hurt? Is it serious? What did Baizhu say?"
"Mother, I'm fine." Ryou shook his head. He could feel how worried she was—otherwise she wouldn't have come running the instant she heard. His father was probably still at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, or up at the Jade Chamber handling the aftermath, which meant she must've dashed over the moment the news reached her.
The concern warmed him. He didn't have deep feelings for these "parents" yet, but it was obvious they cared about him. Little by little, he'd started to accept them.
Having parents like this… wasn't so bad.
"And you're standing here telling me you're fine?" his mother snapped. "If you're hurt anywhere, you tell your mother and I'll find a way, understand? Say it!"
Normally her son was smart, but the moment something happened, he went stubborn and silent like a lump of wood.
"Mother-in-law, he really is fine," Keqing said quickly. "Probably just a few scrapes."
"Good. Good." His mother finally exhaled. "I nearly scared myself to death when I heard something happened to you."
"Mother, I was about to tell you—" Ryou started, helpless, and lifted a hand to have someone bring her tea.
"No need. If you're not hurt, I can relax. I won't drink tea—I'll head back in a moment." She waved it off.
"Mother-in-law, I have something I want to talk to you about," Keqing said, keeping her there. "Stay and have some tea."
"Fine." Ryou's mother looked at Keqing's expression and immediately understood there was more going on. "You, go rest. I'll talk with Keqing."
These were clearly not things Ryou needed to hear, so she sent him away.
Ryou glanced at the two of them acting mysteriously, but he didn't stop it. He nodded and went back to his room. They cared about him more than anyone—what, were they going to harm him? Whatever secrets they wanted to share, let them.
Once Ryou was gone, Keqing pulled his mother down to sit and explained everything that had been happening lately, then asked what she thought.
Ryou's mother was stunned. She hadn't expected Ryou to be unaffected—more than that, she hadn't expected him to have done nothing with any other girl at all. As a mother, that was obviously good news. It meant her son kept himself clean and only had Keqing in his heart.
But it also meant Keqing was the one suffering.
Here she was, working herself to the bone trying to connect Ryou and Ganyu, and somehow nothing had happened between them.
"You've really had it rough," his mother said. "This… I can't help that much. He's got a good temperament and he always sides with you. Why don't you just talk to him openly? Maybe he'll understand."
"Mother-in-law… he doesn't believe me," Keqing muttered, rubbing her temples with a bitter laugh. "He thinks I'm testing him. So I haven't brought it up directly. I wanted to wait until something happened between them, then lay everything out—once it's done, everything becomes easier. But I'm stuck on the very first step."
She clung to his mother's arm, voice thin with frustration. "Mother-in-law, I don't know what to do anymore. Help me think of something."
"I…" Ryou's mother looked like she'd swallowed a stone.
When she married Ryou's father, this problem didn't exist. And his father had been a decent man all these years—nothing like this had ever happened.
Now her son was the one with the issue.
And Keqing was asking her to help her husband find another woman.
What was she supposed to do with that?
After a long silence, she finally said, "Well… the Ministry of Civil Affairs had an incident today, and you do need a place to work. As far as I know, Yujing Terrace has an area you can use. You and Ganyu are close—have Ryou go help Ganyu when the time comes."
She paused, then cleared her throat and pushed onward.
"And… when he's about to leave for work, tease him a bit more. If he's all fired up and then he goes to deal with things with Ganyu… maybe something will happen."
Keqing's eyes lit up. She nodded fast. "You really do have ideas, Mother-in-law. I get it."
"Alright." His mother patted Keqing's shoulder and stood. "I'll head back. That brat made me worry for nothing."
She paused at the door, turning back with a softer voice. "I'll come see you again tomorrow. I'll bring chicken soup—make sure you drink it and build yourself back up."
Once she left, Keqing finally felt like she could breathe. If this worked, things might actually move forward. Her mood lifted, and she headed inside.
The moment she walked in, Ryou caught her and pulled her into his arms.
"What did you two talk about?" he demanded, squeezing her close. "Don't even think about dodging it."
"Nothing," Keqing said, shaking her head.
"I don't believe you." Ryou pinched her cheek lightly, then glanced outside. "A lot happened today. We're covered in dust. Come on—let's wash up."
"Mm…" Keqing understood exactly what he meant.
Ryou blinked when she agreed so easily. At this hour she usually resisted hard. He had no idea what his mother had told her, but whatever it was, it didn't seem dangerous.
And Keqing was being this proactive.
If he didn't seize the moment now, he'd be the dumb one.
Perfect timing to test the effect of the [Kidney].
Night deepened, and Ryou heard a few familiar notification sounds.
His brows lifted. A ten percent boost wasn't huge, but over time it added up nicely. It also extended the duration by quite a bit, and the recovery effect seemed noticeably stronger too.
This time, the [Kidney] really put in work.
When he got the chance, he'd grab some grilled kidney—might as well 'top up' his [Kidney] buff.
Keqing was already clinging to him in her sleep, so Ryou didn't leave the pocket world. He stayed there and slept as well.
By the time he woke up, it was already morning outside.
"Ryou, are you going to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to deal with things?" Keqing wrapped both hands around his arm.
"Mm." Ryou nodded.
Maybe on purpose, maybe not—her buttons weren't fully done up, leaving patches of skin peeking through. That half-covered look dragged his gaze right back to her, heat rising faster than it should've.
The Ministry had an incident yesterday. Going a little later wouldn't kill anyone.
So Ryou simply lay back down and tightened his hold on her.
"Keqing. Yes, the Ministry needs a lot handled today. But Zhongli and Ganyu are there. Whether I go or not won't change much. And you're getting less and less well-behaved—teasing me first thing in the morning?"
"I'm not!" Keqing's face flushed instantly.
In her head, she was shouting. I was thinking about it, sure, but I haven't even done anything yet! How is that teasing? You're just accusing me!
She caught the hungry look in Ryou's eyes and suddenly felt a little afraid.
She didn't know why she still had any energy left this early, but against Ryou—this demon king—she had zero confidence.
Her mother-in-law told her to tease him, but she couldn't let him stay home and bully her all day!
She ran a hand along his chest, trying to calm him down.
"I didn't tease you. But you bullied me all night. In the daytime, you can't mess around!"
"Keqing," Ryou murmured, brushing her cheek, "I'm not going to the Ministry today. I'm staying home with you."
"Ryou, you can't stay home," Keqing said, still clinging to his arm. Her voice stayed calm, but she could feel him getting hotter by the second. "The Ministry has to release a statement today about yesterday's explosion. I can't go there myself—but you have to."
"And Mother-in-law will be here soon," she added, a little more confident now. "Yesterday she said she'd make chicken soup to help me recover."
Ryou sighed.
If his mother wasn't coming, skipping work would've been no big deal. But she was bringing something over—and if she walked in on him "bullying" Keqing again, he'd be finished.
So he swallowed the frustration, pinched Keqing's cheek, and grumbled, "You little fox. You tease me like that first thing in the morning, and then you expect me to just… deal with it?"
"Mm…" Keqing felt the threat in his tone. After hesitating, she still didn't agree.
"Ryou, I don't feel well. Spare me, okay?" she pleaded. "Tonight you can take me out shopping. Buy me an outfit. I'll put it on and show you."
"Mm. Including costumes?" Ryou asked immediately.
"No." Keqing shot him a glare. "That one's excluded."
"Fine." Ryou kissed her once, then got up. "I'll go handle things. When I'm back, I'll deal with you properly. My mother can save you for a morning, but tonight I'm going to spoil you the right way."
He left the room.
Keqing watched him go, then smiled.
She could feel it—he was forcing himself to hold back, and it barely worked. If anything, her little "accident" this morning had made it worse.
If he went to the Ministry like this, maybe something would actually happen between him and Ganyu.
Ryou, I've really worked myself to the bone for you.
This time, you'd better seize the chance and win Ganyu over.
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]