"Speaking of which, the Lantern Rite is coming up soon," Baishi said.
"That's right. Just a few more months," Baiwen replied.
"The first Lantern Rite without Rex Lapis..." Baixiao shook her head with a sigh.
Another session of colleagues commiserating together. As Qin Yu listened to the three seniors' conversation, her mind drifted to the Lantern Rite.
The Lantern Rite, Liyue's grand annual festival.
A massive, vibrant celebration. In the evening, illuminated lanterns would ascend into the sky to commemorate Liyue's heroes.
Before her Teacher left, Qin Yu had celebrated the Lantern Rite with her. Afterward, she had spent the festival alone. Without companionship, her enthusiasm for the Lantern Rite had waned.
"Miss Ganyu, do you have any plans for the Lantern Rite?" Baishi asked.
Since joining their previous venting session, Ganyu had occasionally appeared here.
"I'll probably still be working that day," Ganyu replied.
"Surely you'll have some free time in the evening?"
"I'm not sure yet... What about you, Qin Yu?"
Qin Yu snapped out of her reverie. Why did they suddenly turn the conversation to me?
She'd definitely be working during the day. As for the evening, she wasn't sure. She didn't have any particular plans. Maybe she'd watch the fireworks, stroll through the market, and then go home to sleep.
It had always been this way before.
But saying that would probably kill the mood.
"I'm not sure either. Let's just wander around the market first and find some good food," Qin Yu said with a smile.
"There will definitely be lots of delicious things to eat! But after the Lantern Rite, so many relatives will come visiting..." Baiwen slumped limply back onto the table.
Then she suddenly straightened up and asked earnestly, "Oh, I almost forgot to ask—Qin Yu, have you ever met your relatives?"
Now that their relationship had grown so close, the three of them no longer avoided talking about Qin Yu's family, though they didn't bring it up deliberately either.
This sudden question surprised Qin Yu.
Why bring this up now?
"No, I haven't," Qin Yu replied.
Baixiao nodded knowingly. "Just as I suspected."
"Suspected? What do you mean?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
"Actually, when we went out this morning to handle Lady Ningguang's affairs, we encountered two people claiming to be your relatives," Baishi explained.
Ha?
Ganyu exclaimed in surprise, "Qin Yu's relatives? Did they say anything?"
"They said they wanted to meet you."
Ugh, Qin Yu suddenly felt a wave of nausea.
Relatives I've never met suddenly appearing and wanting to see me? They must have ulterior motives.
The typical scheme went like this:
1. They would try to ingratiate themselves, attempting to make a good impression. 2. They would claim to be going through a rough patch, hinting at unspeakable troubles. 3. They would come to the door repeatedly, begging to borrow money, playing on emotions with stories of "business failures," "family crises," and "health problems," etc. If refused, they would resort to stubbornness, shamelessly pleading.
Rumor has it that some elderly people have been swindled this way. It's utterly unforgivable.
Qin Yu pondered this with heightened vigilance, though she couldn't be certain of its validity. She pressed on, asking, "And then what happened?"
Baixiao replied, "They claimed they hadn't seen Qin Yu since she was born, that they'd heard about her family troubles, and were now deeply concerned for her. We suspected foul play and sent them packing."
Ugh, suspicious to the extreme!
"Thank you so much, Seniors!" Qin Yu said, genuinely moved.
"Oh, it was nothing. But you must be extra careful now, Qin Yu," Baishi cautioned.
Ganyu also looked at Qin Yu with earnest concern.
"Yes, I suspect they were impostors. With your recent rise in prominence and becoming Lady Ningguang's personal attendant, it's inevitable that some information about your background would leak out," Ganyu said.
"In other words, someone's targeting you," Baiwen sighed.
Qin Yu understood their meaning perfectly.
A woman who was not only Lady Ningguang's personal attendant, but also had lost both her biological parents in childhood and her foster mother recently? It was no wonder someone might see her as an easy target.
Imagine winning a massive lottery prize. The moment it's revealed, relatives who've never given you the time of day would suddenly materialize, sniffing out the scent of money. One after another, they'd come crawling out of the woodwork, concocting all sorts of excuses to borrow money.
And if you actually lent them any, they might vanish into thin air, taking your money with them.
Understanding this made Qin Yu deeply resentful.
What do they take me for? A fool?
"Alright, I'll be careful!" Qin Yu replied.
After that, however, Qin Yu never encountered such situations, nor did she hear about them from Baiwen and the others.
Good. They got lucky.
Otherwise, if they'd crossed paths with me, I wouldn't have let them get away so easily! Qin Yu muttered to herself, picking up the broom to sweep the house.
Today was the first rest day of the second month.
Qin Yu decided to invite Shenhe over to stay the night.
After all, she had to fulfill their previous agreement... Even Shenhe might be displeased if she broke her promise.
Determined to make up for her past neglect by creating a wonderful memory for Shenhe, Qin Yu couldn't allow such a thing to happen.
Yesterday, after stealing a moment to extend the invitation to Shenhe, Qin Yu planned to thoroughly clean her rental apartment before Shenhe's arrival today.
By the time she finished, it was already afternoon. Qin Yu exhaled deeply, surveying the room that was cleaner and tidier than ever before, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Great! Next up are snacks and drinks. Wait, is it already 4 PM? Oh no, I'm running out of time..."
Slipping on an apron, Qin Yu rushed into the kitchen.
Preparing the snacks and drinks took another half-hour, but now all the preparations were finally complete.
Perfect.
All that remained was to wait for Shenhe to arrive.
Logically, picking Shenhe up would have been the best option. However, Shenhe insisted that it wasn't necessary and asked Qin Yu to wait at home. Qin Yu had no choice but to comply.
Sitting on the sofa, Qin Yu felt a surge of nervous energy.
Their previous overnight stay had been due to a torrential downpour—a special circumstance, an unavoidable necessity.
This time, it was she who had proposed it.
The fundamental difference between the two situations made it impossible for her to calm her racing thoughts.
Still not here?
Just wait a little longer.
...Still not here? No. Ugh, she's so slow.
Just wait a little longer.
Why isn't she here yet? Could she have run into trouble on the way? Qin Yu's mind raced anxiously as she checked her Machine Companion. Only ten minutes had passed, and she sighed in exasperation.
What am I even doing...? Hugging her knees, Qin Yu sighed.
It's just an overnight stay. There's no need to be so nervous.
Right, no need to be...
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, startling Qin Yu.
She's here! Her nervousness spiking again, Qin Yu rushed to the mirror, checked her appearance one last time, and finally went to open the door.
When Qin Yu opened the door, Shenhe was indeed standing there.
"Sorry for making you wait so long," Shenhe said expressionlessly, her tone unchanged.
Who's been waiting? Qin Yu thought, grumbling inwardly. It's only been ten minutes. Still, seeing Shenhe finally arrive brought her a sense of relief.
"No, no, you hadn't kept me waiting at all! Come in, please."
Qin Yu stepped aside, only then noticing the large bag Shenhe was dragging.
What's this thing?
"Shenhe, what's this?" Qin Yu couldn't help but ask.
"For the overnight stay."
"I-is that so? What's inside?" Qin Yu pressed.
"Clothes, books, medicinal herbs... mostly books."
At first glance, it seemed ordinary enough. But upon further reflection, a jarring sense of unease crept in.
Why bring so many books? Does she think I'll bore her?
The herbs must be for eating... Does she think I'd let her go hungry? Qin Yu grumbled inwardly, feeling genuinely disappointed and disheartened. All she needed was a change of clothes!
After a moment's hesitation, Shenhe confessed, "Last time, everything happened so suddenly, I wasn't prepared. This time, I specifically researched what people bring when staying overnight at a friend's house."
"The research showed: a change of clothes, something to pass the time, and food."
Shenhe continued, "I thought long and hard about what to bring for entertainment. For me, the best way to pass the time is through cultivation. But I know how much you enjoy reading, so I brought plenty of books. I hope you like them."
"E-eh? You did all this for me?"
"Mm, just being with you is enough to make me happy," Shenhe replied without hesitation.
Evaluation: D
A blush spread across Qin Yu's face as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I... I feel the same way," she murmured.
Shenhe's gaze softened, and she nodded gently.
Evaluation: C-
This is just for the points.
But I am a little happy, even if only a little.
"Also, I'm really looking forward to us living together this time," Shenhe added.
Don't get your hopes up.
No, that's not right. It would be awful if you didn't look forward to it. You should look forward to it, but just a little. And don't say it out loud.
Qin Yu responded to Shenhe's words in her mind, closing the door after Shenhe entered.