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Page 39
Yi Chen's brain was like a rusty gear, struggling to reboot an ancient program called "confession." All sorts of chaotic thoughts and fragments of distant memories surged up, making him feel somewhat overloaded.
Just then, Baiwen walked over carrying a document and gently placed it on his desk.
"Yichen, this document needs to be sent to Yuehai Pavilion as soon as possible and given to Lady Keqing. Thank you for your trouble. I'll treat you to the newly made lotus pastries when you get back!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Chen, who was caught up in the chaos of the "confession rehearsal," suddenly raised his head, and his eyes instantly lit up like a light bulb that had been turned on!
Isn't this a golden opportunity?!
A perfectly legitimate reason to see Ke Qing! No need to even come up with an excuse!
He practically sprang from his chair and grabbed the document.
"Okay, Sister Baiwen! I guarantee I'll complete the mission! I'm off right now!"
Before he finished speaking, Yi Chen had already rushed out like a gust of wind.
Baiwen was taken aback by his overreaction. He stared blankly at the cheerful figure that disappeared in an instant at the gate, and muttered to himself.
"...It's just delivering a document, why are you so happy? Are the lotus flower pastries really that tempting?"
Even Ningguang, who was sitting in the main seat, was drawn to the commotion.
She looked up and only saw Yichen's fleeting back. She assumed he was excited because he had been sitting at work for too long and finally had a chance to go out and run errands.
She smiled slightly, shook her head, and then focused her attention back on the intelligence in her hand without giving it much thought.
At this moment, Yi Chen, who was running on the road leading to Yuehai Pavilion, had his heart pounding and his palms were even slightly sweaty from nervousness.
As he ran, he frantically rehearsed the maneuver in his mind:
"Lady Keqing, hello, this is a document from the Jade Pavilion... (hands over the document)... Also, I... (takes a deep breath) I have something to say to you..."
Or to put it more directly?
"Lord Keqing! I love you! Please go out with me!"
No, no, that's too direct.
The system seemed to sense his tension and confusion, and popped a prompt into his mind at just the right moment:
[Ding! Host is detected to be engaged in mission-related activities!]
Friendly reminder: Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon! We suggest you follow your heart and use your intuition freely! (～￣▽￣)～】
Yi Chen: "...This hint is practically useless!"
Yi Chen ran quickly and arrived at the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps it was fate's "favor," for he had just stepped onto the steps when he happened to meet Ke Qing coming out with a roll of blueprints, seemingly about to go out on an inspection.
"Lord Keqing!"
Yi Chen stopped abruptly, still a little unsteady on his feet, and quickly handed over the documents in his hand.
"These are the documents that Qunyu Pavilion needs to give you."
When Ke Qing saw him, she nodded slightly, took the document, quickly flipped through it to confirm that it was correct, and her decisive and efficient style was as always.
"Yes, thank you for your help."
"Is there anything else?"
Yi Chen took a deep breath, as if he were going to war to die, throwing the system mission, Hu Tao's coffin, the self-healing factor, and everything else to the back of his mind. Relying on a familiarity etched into his DNA, he blurted out:
“Um… Miss Keqing,”
"I...I like you!"
Ke Qing was clearly stunned, obviously not expecting to hear such a sentence.
Her fair cheeks flushed a light red almost instantly, and she looked away in a fluster, shaking her head.
"Mr. Yichen, this... please don't make such a joke. Our relationship is just normal business dealings..."
Seeing that Ke Qing was indeed going to refuse, and that she didn't seem to have any intention of drawing her sword immediately, Yi Chen instantly relaxed, even secretly breathing a sigh of relief—first mission complete! Safe!
So, before Keqing could even finish saying her refusal, he immediately nodded in agreement, his attitude incredibly accommodating.
"It's alright, it's alright! I was too abrupt! I'm sorry to have bothered you! Goodbye, Lady Keqing!"
After saying that, as if afraid that the other party would react, he turned around quickly and disappeared in a flash, leaving Ke Qing standing there alone, her cheeks still flushed. She looked at his rapidly disappearing figure, opened her mouth, and finally just sighed with some confusion and helplessness, muttering to herself.
"...Are all Mondstadt people this...direct?"
However, all of this was clearly seen by Gan Yu, who happened to be passing by and was hiding behind the shadows of the pillars of the Moon Sea Pavilion.
She had only come to handle some routine matters, but she inadvertently witnessed the whole thing.
Watching Yichen confess his feelings to Keqing so earnestly, and seeing Keqing's obvious stunned reaction followed by blushing...
Gan Yu felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, aching and astringent, making it almost impossible to breathe.
What a joke!
She was the one who found him first!
She was the one who first acknowledged him, treated him to a meal, and showed concern for his bloodline!
A complex and indescribable emotion surged up within her, mixed with a sense of loss and grievance that she herself was unaware of.
Gan Yu didn't understand why she felt so upset and suffocated.
But through an almost instinctive intuition, she understood one thing:
Young Qilin are forbidden from engaging in early romantic relationships!
Even if... even if we must fall in love...
That must also undergo rigorous review!
Find a suitable, safe partner who can take good care of him!
For example... for example, a mature and steady older sister who took good care of him from the beginning, understood his situation, and was very considerate!
Meanwhile, in the shadows on the other side of the Moon Sea Pavilion, a blurry figure silently retreated, quickly blending into the crowd and disappearing from sight.
Those were Ningguang's informants. He had also witnessed what had just happened and was rushing back to Qunyu Pavilion to report this unexpected "major intelligence" to Tianquan Star.
Chapter 23 Everything is difficult at the beginning
As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning.
After successfully and safely confessing his feelings to Ke Qing for the first time, Yi Chen felt a sense of relief, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden.
That long-lost, familiar feeling of "Mondstadt's deepest affection" seems to have returned a little.
He was no longer preoccupied as before, but walked back to Qunyu Pavilion with light and even leisurely steps.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he felt an unusually focused gaze fall upon him.
Looking up, he saw that Ningguang was not buried in documents or intelligence as usual, but was sitting leisurely in the main seat, one hand supporting her chin, the other hand tapping the table lightly with its fingers, and her eyes that could see through people's hearts were locked on him.
Yi Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he felt inexplicably guilty, but he still forced himself to walk over.
"Lady Ningguang, the document has been delivered to Lady Keqing."
Ningguang didn't reply, but continued to scrutinize him with that meaningful gaze for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger.
"I heard... that you went to Yuehai Pavilion for more than just delivering documents?"
Yi Chen blinked, surprised that the news had spread so quickly.
He didn't intend to hide it, so he nodded and admitted it very frankly.
"Yes, and I also confessed my feelings to Miss Keqing."
He spoke so naturally and confidently, as if he had simply bought a snack on the way.
Ningguang's expression froze instantly.
Although he had already received the information from his informants, hearing Yi Chen admit it with such a casual tone was a completely different experience.
An extremely strange and unfamiliar feeling instantly seized Ningguang's heart.
What a joke!
She did want Yichen to switch his mindset out of "Mondstadt mode"!
She wanted to fill his single-minded mind with some romantic and poetic thoughts!
But she envisioned him channeling that same "affection" and "confession" energy onto himself!
Why did he suddenly turn around and run off to display his feathers to Keqing?!
A feeling so intense it almost made her lose her composure—a feeling of being "caught in the act"— welled up inside her.
Even Tianquan Xing Ningguang could hardly maintain his composed and strategic expression at this moment.
She could even feel her temples throbbing slightly.
Ningguang took several deep breaths before she could barely suppress the nameless anger in her heart.
"...Oh? What was the result?"
“I was rejected.”
Yi Chen answered crisply and decisively, showing no sign of disappointment whatsoever.
"Lady Keqing said I was joking."
Ning Guang: "..."
Hearing the rejection, her inexplicable anger subsided slightly, but what followed was a deeper silence and a strong desire to correct something.
She looked Yichen up and down, as if reassessing a collection that had suddenly become difficult to control.
It seems... simple hints and teasing are completely ineffective on this one-track-minded guy. Getting him to "switch channels" might require a more direct and unambiguous approach.
Ningguang picked up the teacup beside her to conceal her emotions.
She coughed lightly twice, trying to steer the conversation back to her intended path.
"So it failed."
"However, don't be discouraged. Failure is the mother of success, especially when it comes to relationships."
As she spoke, Ningguang put down her teacup and leaned forward slightly.
"Yichen's assistant, you should know that so-called feelings are actually the same as the essence of business investment."
All of these require a keen eye to assess risks and returns and select the highest quality and most promising targets.
"So, you might as well calm down, put aside your momentary impulse, and use the analytical skills you had when writing this paper to think carefully—"
"In Liyue Harbor, who is the person who understands your value the most?"
Who possesses the most abundant 'capital' and 'resources'?
Who can bring you the most stable, longest-term, and most valuable 'returns'?
Who... is your best investment target?
Ningguang's gaze was intense, almost as if she wanted to clearly etch the words "Say it was me" onto Yichen's forehead.
She even unconsciously raised her chin slightly, displaying the unique and undeniable charm and confidence of Tianquan Star, waiting for this simple-minded guy in front of her to finally get it and say the "correct" answer.
Yi Chen indeed fell into deep thought.
He had a furrowed brow and crossed his arms, looking like he was really trying very hard to use his "analytical skills from writing papers" to conduct a rigorous evaluation.
Lady Ningguang is right!
He nodded to himself.
Successfully confessing to Keqing means a ten-pull gacha!
That's a ten-pull!
Who knows, they might just discover some amazing technique that will allow you to achieve financial freedom!
For Mora! For Mondstadt's economy!
How can we give up so easily!
Thinking of this, Yi Chen suddenly felt enlightened, and his fighting spirit was rekindled!