Although she was on tenterhooks the whole way, no one noticed anything amiss until Stelle had hung out Hu Tao's bedding to dry.
Fortunately, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's laundry room was not far from Hu Tao's bedroom, and there was no one there at the moment. Stelle's actions were very smooth, undisturbed by anyone, and no one noticed her.
However, when Stelle returned to Hu Tao's room, she still let out a heavy sigh of relief.
After all, if she had been discovered, she wouldn't have been able to explain herself.
If someone asked her why she was washing the Director's sheets and duvet covers, what would she say?
Hu Tao wet the bed?
She certainly couldn't say that...
"Stelle, you're back." Hu Tao sat up from the bed and slowly came before Stelle.
"Are you alright?" Stelle asked worriedly.
Hu Tao could walk normally now, but just a moment ago she couldn't even get out of bed; Stelle had helped her put on all her clothes, from inside to out.
"It's fine, this Director's body is very good." Hu Tao patted her not-so-large chest.
Actually, those who had intimate relations with Stelle before never experienced being unable to walk the next day. Firstly, most of them were Vision wielders, so their physical condition was good.
Secondly, Stelle wouldn't go too far; many of them gave up and surrendered early on, unable to bear it.
In addition, some successfully counterattacked, and for a time, the balance of power could not be reversed.
But Hu Tao was the type who had good stamina but was also unskilled yet loved to play.
Not only did she repeatedly challenge Stelle's authority last night, but she also didn't stop her mischief in the morning, which forced Stelle to 'educate' Hu Tao again and again with profound yet simple reasoning.
Therefore, when Hu Tao woke up this morning, she was so disheartened, and Stelle even thought she might have some difficulty walking today.
However, Vision wielders generally shouldn't have poor physiques; at least Hu Tao didn't seem like a frail person, and she might recover faster.
Hu Tao came before Stelle, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around Stelle's neck.
"What's wrong?" Stelle naturally put her arm around Hu Tao's waist and asked in confusion.
"Nothing, I just think it's very magical... Sigh, this Director never considered such things before, and I really didn't expect to give myself away so casually."
Hu Tao sighed softly, but although she said this, her heart was very content.
People used to say that Hu Tao, looking like this, wouldn't be able to get married in the future. In fact, with the identity of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's Director, it was indeed not easy for Hu Tao to marry like an ordinary girl.
It's just that Hu Tao had never cared about this; she was quite happy and carefree on her own anyway.
Who would have thought that a Stelle would appear at this time...
"The house you rented should be almost ready today. Are you planning to go there tonight... or stay in the Parlor with me for a night?"
"I actually really want to choose the second option, truly." Stelle didn't hesitate much.
Mainly, she had to let Hu Tao rest for a night; otherwise, no matter how strong her body was, she wouldn't be able to take it.
Furthermore, she couldn't just leave Lumine; she still had to discuss plans for after today with her.
"Mmm, I knew it would be like this, but it's okay, it's close anyway." Hu Tao wasn't too disappointed by Stelle's answer.
After all, the house was right next to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. When the time came, she could just have someone open up the wall between the two houses, making it convenient for her to go directly to Stelle.
And since Stelle would be staying at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to help her with odd jobs, they would have plenty of time to interact in the future, and she could even arrange some extra 'work' for Stelle.
"What do you plan to have for lunch?" Stelle lowered her head and lightly pecked Hu Tao's lips, then asked.
"Let's eat out. There isn't a very skilled chef at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor," Hu Tao replied without thinking.
Although making boiled fish with shrimp dumplings was simple, it wasn't certain that Stelle would be used to such a dish.
"But you…" Stelle hesitated, glancing at Hu Tao's legs.
"It's fine, walking slowly won't be a problem."
"Alright."
-----------
If one didn't look closely, there wasn't much noticeable problem with Hu Tao's walking.
It was only after careful observation that Stelle noticed Hu Tao walked with a slight awkwardness.
However, for Hu Tao, who was always lively and walked with a spring in her step, walking so slowly was quite rare.
If she encountered any acquaintances on the road, they might find it very strange.
Fortunately, Hu Tao didn't have many close friends, and those not as familiar with her wouldn't mind such minor details, simply assuming that the Director Hu was in a bad mood today.
The two arrived at Wanmin Restaurant, unexpectedly running into Lumine and Paimon there.
They seemed to have just finished ordering and hadn't started eating yet.
"Ah, it's Stelle and Hu Tao!" Paimon quickly waved to them.
Hu Tao also quickly pulled Stelle along and walked over.
The two sat down opposite them.
"Wow, it really does feel different now," Hu Tao was the first to speak to Lumine.
Earlier this morning, Stelle told her that after doing it, when she encountered others who had been intimate with Stelle, the feeling would be distinctly different and easy to discern.
"Mhm, everyone feels that way afterwards," Lumine also nodded with a smile. She also felt a different sensation from Hu Tao.
Then she looked at Stelle and playfully winked at her.
"What different feeling?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Nothing, it's just that Lumine seems much kinder after one night," Hu Tao waved her hand, casually brushing off the topic.
"Speaking of which, didn't you say you had an important commission and wouldn't be back until the day after tomorrow?" Stelle couldn't help but ask Lumine.
Although she knew Lumine not returning last night was definitely to create an opportunity for her to win over Hu Tao.
But since Lumine said so, it was probably not just a casual excuse; there must have been some troublesome commission.
"Sigh, originally we only took a small commission within Liyue Harbor," Paimon sighed helplessly, sounding dispirited when mentioning it.
"They said the water source in Feiyun Slope was polluted, and Yujing Terrace had already sent professionals to deal with it, but the source of the pollution couldn't be found, so they issued a commission to the Adventurers' Guild," Lumine added.
Lumine could use convenient skills like Elemental Sight and felt she was good at finding things, so she accepted the commission.
"And then?" Hu Tao asked curiously.
"The source of the pollution was indeed found, but…" Lumine's voice lowered. She looked around, then slowly began to speak.
"The source of the pollution was a highly decomposed female corpse!"
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