"Keqing-san? And Ryou-san—oh, we meet again," Yanfei said, clearly surprised to run into them.
Then she paused. Something about Keqing felt… off. Keqing's face was bright red, her eyes full of flustered embarrassment, like she'd just witnessed something she wasn't supposed to see.
"Ah—Yanfei-san…" Keqing panicked on the spot. "D-do you need something?"
She felt like she couldn't even look people in the eye anymore. It was all Ryou's fault—he'd made an outrageous request, and now her brain wouldn't stop spiralling.
"It's nothing serious," Yanfei said with a smile. "Last time, Ryou-san helped me get the deed back from Gentry Maocai, so I wanted to thank you."
Her gaze flicked behind them. "Were you two… just shopping for clothes? That's a whole row of new boutiques."
Ryou kept an arm around Keqing and smiled. "Yeah. I bought Keqing two outfits."
Then his expression shifted slightly, like a thought had just clicked into place. "Actually, Yanfei-san, since we ran into you—could we talk somewhere? I've got something I'd like to ask."
"Of course," Yanfei said easily. "Come on."
She led them into a teahouse and booked a private room. After the attendant brought tea and snacks and shut the door, Ryou finally looked at Yanfei properly.
"Yanfei-san," he said, "does Liyue Harbor have any true masters of alchemy?"
"A master alchemist?" Yanfei thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not here, no. We do have alchemists, but not someone you'd call a 'master.'"
"I heard Ningguang once offered extremely generous terms to bring an alchemy master to Liyue Harbor, but it didn't work out. Those people don't really care how much Mora you throw at them. A lot of them went back to Sumeru."
She perked up. "That said—I do have a close friend in Mondstadt. The Knights of Favonius have a master alchemist there, and from what I've heard, he's exceptionally skilled. People line up to consult him."
She hesitated, then added, "But if you want to hire him for anything, you'd need to formally commission it."
Keqing immediately thought of Albedo. She'd met him once when she visited Mondstadt—his talent was undeniable.
But she'd never tried to recruit him. She could tell he wouldn't leave Mondstadt. He held a position with the Knights, and his younger sister worked there too—she was even a knight herself. And with his close ties to Jean, convincing him to relocate would be next to impossible.
Still… why did Ryou suddenly want a master alchemist?
Ryou noticed the look that passed between Yanfei and Keqing. He lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.
"I won't hide it," he said. "I want a master alchemist to make something for me."
He set the cup down, calm as ever. "Something that can earn Mora."
"Earn… Mora?" Yanfei's expression went strange.
In her impression, neither Ryou nor Keqing should be short on money. Ryou looked like an ordinary man on the surface, but Yanfei knew he had deep connections—ties to the Liyue Qixing, and links to the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
So why would he suddenly be talking about making Mora?
"Ryou…" Keqing's first instinct was guilt. She thought he was worried because they'd spent too much today.
"It's fine," Ryou said, squeezing her hand lightly.
Then he looked back to Yanfei. "I'm sure this sounds odd. Other people might not know what my situation is, but you, Yanfei-san—you deal with people for a living. You probably have a decent sense of it."
"Yes, I can access a lot of Mora," he admitted. "But I want to earn it myself. Partly for us… and partly for the Ministry."
He gave Yanfei a quick summary of what he'd done—how he'd used bonuses to push the staff into clearing files faster, and how that would cost real money if it became routine.
Keqing frowned, still unconvinced. "Do you really need to do that? Processing files is already their job. Paying bonuses on top—especially that much—won't it become a huge drain long-term?"
She wasn't against motivating people, but the Mora burn rate was brutal. If it went on for weeks, it wouldn't be a small number anymore. No wonder Ryou was thinking about earning more.
Even with his uncle backing him, that kind of spending would still add up.
Yanfei, on the other hand, nodded thoughtfully. "Ryou-san, I think it's a good idea. It sparks real competitiveness and work drive."
"If you can keep that habit going, the impact will be huge. I heard Zhongli-san joined the Ministry too and has been helping with the workload. If the entire staff starts racing each other like this, Keqing… you'd barely need to do anything beyond checking in."
She smiled at Keqing. "I heard you used to work late every day. That might finally change."
Then she looked back at Ryou, her tone turning warmer. "You're really good to her."
"Ah…" Keqing froze, then finally understood.
So that's what this was.
Not about money. Not about showing off. He was doing it so she wouldn't have to suffer through endless late nights.
Her eyes stung.
She looked at Ryou, suddenly overwhelmed. No wonder she'd gone to the Ministry recently and barely had anything to do—she'd just sat, drank tea, and left. He'd been carrying all of this behind her back.
"Ryou… you're really… so good," she whispered, and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest.
Ryou patted her back. "If I'm not good to you, who am I supposed to be good to?"
Keqing didn't answer. She just stayed there, soaking in the warmth.
A moment ago, she'd been worrying about Mora and thinking the bonuses were unnecessary. She hadn't even considered that every step he took was for her.
And that made the guilt hit harder.
He'd done so much for her… and she still hadn't really helped him with anything.
If she wanted to repay him, she needed to actually do something. The fastest solution was still the same: get Ganyu involved properly. Once Ganyu did, Ryou would finally have someone to share the pressure.
Tomorrow, I'll invite Ganyu to our house.
And we've got two evening gowns now. Perfect. I can use that to pull a clean swap.
Yanfei watched them cling to each other and—despite herself—felt her mood sour.
Seriously?
Could you two at least remember there's a third person in the room?
…Still. She was also genuinely jealous. Their relationship really was that good.
"Keqing," Ryou murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair, "Yanfei-san is still here."
"Ah—" Keqing snapped back to reality, mortified. Her face went blazing hot, and she dropped her head, refusing to look at Yanfei.
She and Yanfei were friends. They saw each other often.
And now Yanfei had watched her throw herself at her husband like this… Keqing wanted to evaporate on the spot. Even if she wouldn't need to go to the Ministry as much from now on, what about later? If she ran into Yanfei again, how was she supposed to act?
Yanfei cleared her throat, smiling to ease it. "Keqing, don't be so embarrassed. We're friends. I'm not going to gossip about you."
Her voice softened with honest emotion. "If anything, I envy you. Having someone who cares for you like that… protects you like that… I really envy it."
She paused. "Because I haven't met anyone like that."
"That's not true," Ryou said, sipping his tea.
"Huh?" Yanfei blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ryou set the cup down. "Your parents. They care about you, don't they?"
Yanfei choked a little. "I mean… yes, that's fair."
Then she hurriedly clarified, flustered, "But I meant a man. A boyfriend. That kind of person. Sorry—I got a little carried away."
Keqing's embarrassment eased a fraction. "I didn't know you wanted a boyfriend."
"Who doesn't?" Yanfei sighed. "But Keqing, you know my situation."
She looked down, voice quieter. "I can want it, but I can't really pursue it. I live far longer than humans. One day I'd still be in my prime, and he'd already be old."
"It's not a pretty thing to say," she added, "but it's the truth. So even if I envy you, I can only swallow it."
As she spoke, she suddenly felt Keqing's gaze turn oddly intense—almost heated—and she frowned. "Keqing? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Keqing said quickly, then softened. "I just… remembered. You're like Ganyu too. Your lifespan is much longer than ours."
Yanfei smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Sometimes I wish I were just human."
"Even if I lived less time—so what? A life ends, and that's that. But when you live too long, you start thinking too much. And you start losing things without even realizing it."
She let out a slow breath. "Love. Marriage. Children. Humans get to experience all of it. They get to taste it."
"And me?" Yanfei gave a small, bitter laugh. "I can only choose loneliness in the end, because no one can walk with me forever."
She seemed to realize she'd gone too far and quickly tried to pull it back. "Sorry. That was sudden. I didn't mean anything by it."
"I understand," Ryou said simply, nodding.
Keqing nodded too, but her mind had already wandered.
Yanfei was also an adeptus, and they were close friends…
Should I try—
No. Bad idea. Yanfei is a legal adviser. She's too sharp. If I try anything, she'll see through me in two seconds.
Better to stick with Ganyu. She's… easier.
Yanfei hesitated, then said, "Ryou-san—if you want to meet that master alchemist, I can write to my friend and ask them to come to Liyue Harbor. I can't guarantee it'll work, though."
Ryou thought for a moment. "Tell them we found some talismans and unusual alchemical materials in Liyue Harbor and want an expert to verify them."
He nodded once. "That should be enough to get their attention. I'll leave it to you."
Yanfei agreed. "Alright. Once I'm home, I'll write and send it to Mondstadt."
She stood. "It's late—I should go."
"We only just had tea," Keqing blurted. "You're leaving already?"
Yanfei gave her a long, flat look. "Originally, I wanted to grab some late-night food and then go back to work."
She sighed, eyes half-lidded with mock misery. "But I'm already full."
Keqing blinked. "Full… from one cup of tea?"
She tilted her head and looked at Ryou.
Ryou laughed and pinched Keqing's cheek. "She means we fed her so much 'dog food' that she's full."
"Ah…" Keqing's face reddened all over again. She reached up and pinched Ryou a few times. "This is your fault!"
"Fine, fine," Ryou said, surrendering. "My fault."
Then he drew her closer. "We should head home too."
His voice dropped. "And later… I'm going to 'treat' you again."
Keqing instantly tensed.
Ryou leaned in, breath warm against her ear. "And tonight—wear it for me, alright?"
"No," Keqing said immediately, shooting him a look. Then she rose on her toes and kissed him on the lips. "Can we not talk about that tonight?"
Ryou's expression turned solemn, like he was about to discuss national policy. "Today, at Yujing Terrace, I met my father."
Keqing blinked.
Ryou continued with a straight face. "He told me our family line is thin. He wants me to carry on the family name."
He squeezed her waist. "Keqing, my father is serious about these things. I listen to him. You should too."
Keqing snorted. "Please."
"I know Father-in-law works at Yujing Terrace, and I believe you saw him," she said, eyes narrowed, "but that second part? I don't believe a word of it."
She jabbed him lightly. "Mother-in-law even told me to take it slow!"
"I'm not joking," Ryou said, dead serious. "And your protest is invalid."
He leaned closer, voice low and shameless. "Tonight, wear the purple dress. The fabric looked… very promising."
"I'm not wearing it!" Keqing's face went scalding hot. She tried to push him away, but her hands were weak.
Ryou chuckled. "Protest denied. We're going home."
He wrapped an arm around her and walked out of the teahouse, smiling like he'd already won.
[End of chapter]
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