A candlelight dinner is often considered the pinnacle of romantic dining between couples.
In some places, more than half the people believe it to be the best setting for a private date.
There were no electric lights in the room—only the gentle flicker of candle flames illuminating Furina's delicate face with a faint blush.
Whether in countless reincarnations, in the present world, or even further back in time…
This was actually Gu Chen's first candlelight dinner.
The novelty of it amused him.
What made it even more interesting was that he and Furina didn't have a defined relationship.
A candlelit dinner between two people who were not officially a couple was surprisingly intriguing.
Seeing Gu Chen silent and not touching his utensils, Furina grew nervous.
"You… if you don't like it, we can have them take it away," she murmured.
"Really… why would they make this decision on their own…"
"Oh?"
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow, smiling teasingly.
"So the restaurant arranged it on their own?"
"I thought it was your idea."
"Th-that—!"
Furina's face turned bright red.
Judging by his expression, he had clearly seen through everything.
And now he was deliberately teasing her!
This man had such a terrible side!
Still…
She felt a bit relieved.
At least he didn't object.
Which meant her little test was… a success, right?
"Let's eat!"
Furina said quickly, trying to hide her excitement.
She clearly didn't have much experience hosting dinners.
But Gu Chen understood why.
In private life, Furina didn't even have true friends.
For five hundred years she had always feared someone discovering her secret.
Because of that, she lacked experience in social situations.
But that was fine.
Her small awkwardness—given the circumstances—made her even more charming.
They slowly enjoyed the chef's signature dishes.
Furina seemed quite immersed in the moment as well.
The meal lasted a full hour before finally ending.
Later, the two walked side by side through the brightly lit streets of Fontaine at night.
Furina held the half-finished bottle of Fonta and asked:
"So… how was your Fontaine tour today?"
Gu Chen answered immediately.
"Very interesting."
"In what way?" Furina asked curiously.
They had visited many places, but surely the machinery and sights of Fontaine weren't that novel to someone as experienced as him.
"You'll figure it out eventually."
Gu Chen shook his head without explaining.
"…Oh."
Furina walked beside him toward the Palais Mermonia, biting her straw and thinking hard.
Even after they arrived, she still had no answer.
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
Gu Chen stepped out.
"Then I'll head back to my room."
Furina snapped out of her thoughts.
"Ah—right!"
"Rest well. Good night!"
"Good night."
Gu Chen nodded.
He watched the elevator doors close before returning to his room.
Meanwhile — Top Floor
Furina returned to her room.
She casually placed the Fonta on the table and went to wash up.
A while later—
She jumped onto the bed and lay staring at the ceiling.
Her mind replayed everything that happened today.
"Very interesting… what exactly was interesting?"
The question kept bothering her.
She analyzed everything carefully.
All external factors were eliminated one by one.
That left only one possible answer.
Furina suddenly sat up, eyes wide.
"…He thinks I'm interesting?!"
The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
After all, she had already ruled out everything else.
She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.
Her bare hand touched her burning cheeks.
Then she pulled the blanket over her head and wriggled inside like a little caterpillar.
After happily squirming for a while, fatigue overtook her.
Soon she drifted off to sleep.
Whatever she dreamed about—
A sweet smile appeared on the sleeping girl's face.
The Next Morning
Gu Chen and Focalors were already awake.
They were in Neuvillette's office.
"Furina deserves a grand and magnificent farewell," Neuvillette said.
"This was Lyney's proposal, and I agree with it."
"We plan to make several arrangements."
"First, there will be a farewell ceremony for Furina and Focalors, formally announcing that Fontaine has entered an era without a Hydro Archon."
"After that, Lyney will perform a grand magic show to celebrate."
He looked toward Gu Chen.
"This will require some preparation."
"So we hope Mr. Gu Chen can stay in Fontaine for another day or two."
Gu Chen thought briefly and nodded.
"That sounds like a good plan."
"I don't mind staying a few extra days."
Focalors sat nearby with her chin in her hands.
Whenever asked for her opinion, she simply nodded happily.
"Mm-hmm!"
She felt deeply guilty toward Furina.
So she hoped this farewell ceremony could be as perfect as possible.
"It's already nine o'clock," Neuvillette said, checking the time.
"It seems Miss Furina has missed breakfast."
"Let her sleep," Focalors waved dismissively.
After all, the girl who had stopped acting as the Hydro Archon deserved to sleep in.
After breakfast, Neuvillette returned to work.
Focalors had nothing to do.
Since Gu Chen had freed her from the Oratrice while allowing it to continue functioning, she now had time to explore modern Fontaine.
So she left with a Melusine police officer to tour the city.
Gu Chen, on the other hand, was even freer.
He found a sunny spot, made some tea, and opened the chat group to see if anything interesting was happening.
Chat Group
Heizou:
"Think about it."
"Now that Neuvillette is a complete dragon, if he cries in the desert it'll rain heavily."
"If he cries enough times, the desert might turn into rainforest—or even ocean."
"My logic is flawless, right?"
Albedo:
"Reasonable."
Dehya:
"Sure, but how do we make him cry?"
"Sad light novels?" 🤔
Kaeya:
"Easy."
"Beat him up." 😏
Venti:
"Why make it complicated?"
"Just have Navia stand in front of him and scold him."
"He'll cry within two minutes." 😆
Navia:
"WHAT?!"
"I looked away from the chat for a moment and you're slandering me?!" 😤
Azhdaha:
"No, we're slandering Neuvillette."
"Now that he's a complete dragon, he deserves full group roasting."
Neuvillette:
"Being collectively slandered by the entire group feels… helpless."
Fontaine Citizen A:
"Hey everyone, I've got gossip."
"Want to hear it?"
Kaeya:
"Spill it."
Venti:
"Go on." 🍿
Citizen A:
"I heard Lady Furina and the Sect Leader had a candlelight dinner together last night."
Kaeya:
"…That's it?"
Heizou:
"Completely expected."
Charlotte:
"I thought it would be bigger news."
"Though Furina's progress is indeed fast…"
"It feels like if Mr. Gu Chen just crooked his finger, she'd fall for it immediately." 😲
Clorinde:
"He might not even need to crook his finger."
Arlecchino:
"The moment Mr. Gu Chen appears, she turns into a hooked fish."
"He might not even start fishing yet—the fish jumps onto the shore by itself." 😏
Lumine:
"Typical Sect Leader haters."
"Furina being like that is fine since she's a girl."
"But the rest of you—don't even try anything!" 😑
Zhongli:
"You misunderstand."
"In our Sect Leader Haters Association, Furina is the only traitor."
"The rest of us are steadfast."
Venti:
"Wait until I change clothes."
"Put on a maid outfit and white stockings…"
"Hehe~ Sect Leader big brother~" 🎥
Paimon:
"Ugh."
Tartaglia:
"You're insane."
Gu Chen:
"Venti has amazing medical skills."
"I feel like if I died someday, he'd still revive me just to make jokes."
While sipping tea, Gu Chen suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder.
He turned around.
Of course—it was Furina.
She stood where the sunlight streamed in, her white hair glowing softly in the light.
Gu Chen thought to himself that once she officially stepped down as Hydro Archon, that long white hair might disappear.
Furina sat beside him.
"Already had breakfast?" Gu Chen asked casually.
"Mm-hmm!"
She smiled brightly.
"Did Neuvillette tell you about the preparations?"
"He did," Furina nodded.
"It's basically a farewell speech."
"I don't really need to prepare much."
Her stage presence and acting were flawless.
If she said so, Gu Chen believed her.
"I saw you looking at the chat earlier," she said.
"Anything interesting?"
She opened the group chat and started scrolling.
Her expressions changed rapidly:
laughing → nervous → shocked → embarrassed → stunned → laughing again.
"Cough."
"Well, since Mr. Venti is coming to Fontaine, we should prepare to receive him!"
She stood up as if preparing to escape.
"Wouldn't Neuvillette handle that?" Gu Chen said calmly.
"…Ah, right."
Furina sat back down awkwardly.
Her legs pressed together.
Her gloved hands twisted together nervously.
Even her toes inside her shoes curled tightly.
Too embarrassing.
Way too embarrassing.
What did they mean she turned into a hooked fish the moment Gu Chen appeared?!
What did they mean the fish jumped onto shore before he even started fishing?!
Was she really that obvious?!
Did everyone see through her feelings?!
But Lumine's comment surprised her even more.
Judging by the main wife's tone…
She didn't seem opposed?
If that was true…
Furina suddenly felt more confident.
Gu Chen stroked his chin, watching her rapidly changing expressions.
He could guess what she was thinking.
After she finally smiled again, he asked softly:
"So—what's the plan for today?"
Furina tilted her head.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"If not, I'll arrange everything!"
Gu Chen thought seriously.
Then smiled mysteriously.
"How about fishing from a boat at sea?"
Furina jumped to her feet instantly.
Realizing she overreacted, she slowly sat down again.
"Y-you don't mean anything else by that… right?"
Gu Chen leaned back with his hands behind his head.
"Winter is cold where I live."
"But Fontaine's winter is pleasant."
"And the sun today is perfect."
"So from every perspective…"
"Today is a perfect day for fishing."
Furina thought very hard about his words.
People often said the higher someone's status, the more their words required interpretation.
Someone like Gu Chen definitely fit that rule.
After a long pause, she asked quietly:
"…Are you fishing for real fish?"
Gu Chen laughed.
"What difference does it make?"
"Why not fish for both kinds?"
Furina lowered her head, cheeks red.
Her fingers twisted together.
Did he mean actual fishing…
Or fishing for her?
If both kinds counted…
Then she really was the fish being hooked!
She felt happy—but also embarrassed.
Did that mean Miss Furina truly became a hooked fish?!
She had pride too, okay!
"Oh?"
"You don't want to go?"
"That's fine."
"We can do something else."
"NO!"
Furina looked up immediately.
"We're going fishing!"
"Both kinds!"
She froze.
Gu Chen was smiling at her.
She realized she had walked straight into his trap.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Furina rushed over and lightly punched his shoulder with clenched fists.
"You're so mean!"
"I'm not a hooked fish!"
"You're not allowed to catch me!"
Gu Chen chuckled.
He patted her clenched fists gently.
"Normally when fishing, you have to tire the fish out before reeling it in."
"But that's for normal fishing."
"What about hooked fish?" Furina asked eagerly.
Gu Chen glanced at the tea in his cup.
"If it's already a hooked fish…"
"You reel it in immediately."
"Mm! That's good then!"
Furina relaxed.
Then suddenly froze.
Wait.
Hold on.
Didn't that mean she really was the hooked fish?! 😳🎣
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