"Ryou… I've already missed two days of work."
Keqing clung to him, cheek pressed to his chest. She tipped her head up to look into his eyes—then immediately wished she hadn't.
There was a faint curve at the corner of his mouth, and something hotter underneath it. The same kind of look as last night.
Keqing's shoulders drew in. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Why are you scared?" Ryou said, tightening his hold. "Stay home and rest. If anyone dares gossip about you, I'll deal with it. And the Ministry's paperwork—I've already handled it for you."
Keqing was warm against him, soft in his arms, and that alone was enough to light a fuse. He exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.
He'd already pushed her too far yesterday. He wasn't doing that again.
[Ding! Hand entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! Darkened Mode active. Fingers gain mysterious power, capable of applying a random special effect to anything they touch!]
Ryou froze.
Before he could think, his hand was already up—brushing Keqing's face.
"Mmm… what is it?" Keqing lifted her head again.
Then she noticed it.
His eyes looked even hotter than a second ago.
And worse—one particular hand was starting to wander.
"Sorry," Ryou said quickly. He stopped himself hard. "I went too far."
Keqing's gaze wavered, caught between fear and hesitation. That look punched him straight in the chest.
He forced himself to wake up properly.
It wasn't him—at least, not entirely.
The moment he touched her cheek, another prompt had popped up.
[Ding! Keqing gained special effect: Temptation!]
[Temptation]
[Effect: Overall attraction to the opposite sex increased by 20% for one hour!]
That boost was deadly—for him.
If he lost control, Keqing would be the one paying for it.
She looked up at him, eyes damp, trying to be brave anyway. Ryou's grip tightened—careful, protective.
He lowered his voice. "Keqing… I'm the one at fault. I promise you—I'll wait until you're fully recovered. Today, I won't do anything to you."
"Mhm." Keqing nodded fast.
She could hear it in his voice. He was holding himself back on purpose—because he didn't want to hurt her.
And knowing what kind of man he was… her heart softened.
"If you really can't endure it, I…" she started.
"Don't say that." Ryou cut in, firm. "You're my wife. I'm not hurting you. If I still tried something when you're like this, I wouldn't be a man."
He held her a little tighter. "Don't bring it up again—especially not in this situation. Understood?"
"ok..." Keqing said, and the tension slipped out of her all at once.
Relief came first. Then warmth. Even her voice sounded lighter.
But a thought still clung to the back of her mind.
Once she recovered a bit, she needed to go to Yujing Terrace. She had to find a way to get Ganyu interacting with Ryou more.
She couldn't be the only one taking the hits every time.
…
By noon, the sun was blazing.
Ryou grabbed an umbrella, opened it, and slipped an arm around Keqing's waist as he guided her outside.
The moment the door opened, bright light poured in. Clear sky, busy streets, voices calling from every direction.
Ryou glanced down at her, smiling. "Come on. Let's take a walk."
"Mm."
Keqing leaned into him, letting him carry most of her weight. Walking like this was much easier.
She knew what he was doing—saving her strength.
Even with a Vision, recovery still took time.
Keqing looked up at him and smiled.
Sometimes this man was a complete menace.
And sometimes… he was gentle enough to make her sink in deeper than she should.
They headed toward Yujing Terrace, and after a while Keqing started noticing the looks.
Her fingers brushed her cheek. She pressed closer to him and whispered, "Do I have something on my face? Why do I feel like everyone's staring?"
Ryou laughed. "Because my wife is beautiful. They can only look."
His smile widened a touch. "And they can only envy me."
Ryou knew exactly why.
The Temptation buff hadn't worn off yet—attraction to the opposite sex increased by 20%. On Keqing, that kind of boost was… obvious.
And with her looks to begin with, of course people would stare.
Ryou caught a few men openly looking her over and couldn't help but laugh again.
Let them envy.
All they could do was look.
Because she was his wife.
Note: Last batch of chapters this week.
I'm going to stop at Chapter 60 and then take a couple of days to make a final decision on whether I'll continue translating this fanfic. If you want to read until chapter 60 right away, go to my patreon and join as FREE MEMBER.
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[End of chapter]
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