In the next room, Ganyu was in front of the mirror trying on her new colored contacts.
With them, she could change the color at will.
Shenhe picked up her phone and sent Xia Zhi a message: [Come?]
A moment later, he replied: [Busy]
She understood—he wouldn't be able to get away tonight.
Looking up at Ganyu, she said, "Senior Sister, the boss is busy tonight."
Suddenly, Ganyu didn't find the contacts so fun anymore. She sighed. "Guess kids aren't always that cute after all."
Shenhe asked, "Don't you want kids, Senior Sister?"
"That's not what I meant," Ganyu said quickly.
"I understand," Shenhe nodded. "You just don't think Xia Lin is cute at night."
Ganyu smiled. "Don't you think so too?"
Shenhe said seriously, "Not really. In the dream world, I can still get close to the boss."
Ganyu removed the contacts.
Shenhe added, "It'll be better when Xia Lin's older."
"Yeah," Ganyu said absently. "When she's older, she'll be more sensible."
"Mm, and then I can teach her…"
That made Ganyu pause. "Junior Sister, what do you mean—"
"Wasn't that what you just meant?" Shenhe looked genuinely confused.
"Of course not!" Ganyu blurted.
Shenhe lowered her head and pulled out a small bottle. Inside was a Happiness Pill made from her own breath.
This… wouldn't work if slipped in secretly.
She'd have to find the right moment.
---
In the dream world, Furina had been laughing all day, while Focalors wore a look of pure exasperation.
Xia Zhi, curious, asked why.
Trying to suppress her giggles, Furina said, "Cousin, you don't know? It's been raining in Fontaine all day—it's still going tonight."
He frowned. "A bit long, but rainy days happen sometimes. That's normal."
Focalors huffed. "Not normal weather—this is her doing."
He looked at her. "Oh?"
She explained, "You know Neuvillette?"
"Of course. Second-generation Hydro Dragon Sovereign."
"I invited him to be Fontaine's Chief Justice. Later, I learned that when he's in a bad mood, it affects Fontaine's weather—whenever he feels sad, it rains across the whole nation."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment. "So you're saying it rained all day because Neuvillette's been sad all day."
She nodded. "Exactly."
He turned to Furina. "Did you pull some prank?"
Furina grinned. "I wouldn't call it a prank. I had good intentions!"
"Good intentions?" he echoed skeptically.
Focalors sighed. "She played him a recording of your piece."
Xia Zhi: "…"
When Furina saw him lower his head and fall silent, she asked cautiously, "Cousin, are you mad?"
He looked up. "No, it's just a little prank between friends. Perfectly normal."
"Then why'd you go quiet?"
"I'm composing."
Both women blinked. "Composing? Composing what?"
"A new piece."
"Sudden inspiration?" Furina asked.
"Something like that."
Focalors guessed, "Related to dragons?"
"You guessed right. Azhdaha's in Mondstadt now. Tomorrow I'm planning to cook a meal to celebrate my cousin's revival. Since I won the music contest, people will probably ask me to perform, so I'll play a piece about Azhdaha to repay the favor for letting someone else win today."
Furina asked, "Another sad tune?"
"More… tranquil," Xia Zhi mused. "He's had glory, he's had ruin. Now he's just an old man guarding the gate."
"You call that an old man? That quake today was strong enough for me to feel it in Fontaine," she laughed.
He was intrigued. "I didn't feel a thing—probably because I was in a time-stopped barrier."
When he finished the composition, he played it for them. They both liked it.
With the [Dragon Resonance] trait, Azhdaha would probably like it even more.
---
The next morning, after Xia Lin went out to find Yaoyao, Xia Zhi stopped by next door to test the contacts on Ganyu—perfect results.
Then he evolved two more pairs. Now they could change not only color but also pupil shape, plus a hidden +5 Charm effect.
So they tested them again. Pink heart pupils—also excellent.
When he stepped out for a walk, Fischl intercepted him in the plaza, holding a brand-new notebook and eagerly asking for his autograph.
He wrote his name in every Teyvat language.
Then she walked with him around the plaza, chatting.
Soon, the topic turned to Bennett.
She said her luck had been fine before joining his adventure team, but ever since, she'd been plagued by misfortune—just yesterday she nearly died… until she met him.
That made Xia Zhi curious about the unlucky boy, thinking his fate might be unusual—something like Shenhe's fate, lowering the luck of those around him.
After a bit more walking, it was time to part. He invited Fischl to lunch at the Serenitea Pot, and she readily agreed—then went home to agonize over what to wear.
Xia Zhi went with the others for breakfast. On the way, they "happened" to run into Kaeya, whom he also invited to lunch. Kaeya accepted with a smile.
After breakfast, the girls went grocery shopping while Xia Zhi headed to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and knocked on Jean's office door.
She looked pleasantly surprised. "Mr. Xia, you came!"
He smiled. "Yes. Captain Jean must have been busy these past few days."
She sighed helplessly. "Busy to death. Thank goodness for the instant noodles and tea you gave me—without them, I'm not sure I'd have lasted."
"Instant noodles are just emergency food, not nutritionally balanced. Tea can force you to stay alert, but it doesn't truly relieve physical fatigue. You should rest more."
She rubbed her forehead with a wry smile. "I can only hang on until this period passes."
"I'm blind, so I can't help with much else. But if you have time, you could come to me for a massage."
Her interest piqued. "A massage…"
Before, she hadn't known what she was missing. But after trying it once, that pleasure was unforgettable.
He teased, "If you're free now, I could give you one right here in your office, like last time."
She looked at him, then said softly, "Then I'll trouble you."
He blinked.
Then she was clearing off her desk, moving all the papers to the floor.
"Mr. Xia, please lock the door."
"Locked?"
"Mm. If you can't, leave it for me."
"I'll try… There, it's locked."
"Good."
He rolled up his sleeves and helped clear the desk.
Once it was bare, he said, "Captain Jean, please lie down. If you'd rather not take off your shoes, you don't have to."
"No worries. I didn't stay up late last night, so my feet shouldn't smell."
Before, she'd often stayed up all night. But ever since that first massage, she'd taken special care with her hygiene—making sure she was spotless.
Maybe part of her wanted this second massage to make up for the imperfections of the first.
And today was that day.
She slipped off her shoes. She was wearing stockings.
"Should I take them off too?"
"If we're not doing an essential oil massage, no need."
"Essential oil massage?"
"It's where you apply oil to the body before massaging. Afterwards, your skin will be very slick, and you'll need to bathe right away or it'll feel uncomfortable."
"Oh, then forget it."
She didn't have that kind of time. Just squeezing in a quick massage was already hard enough.
He placed his hands on her shoulders.
The familiar wave of pleasure made her let out a soft, contented sigh.
Perfect.
He worked steadily. After finishing her upper body, he said quietly, "Captain Jean, you seem to have put on a little weight lately."
Her eyes snapped open. "No way?"
"My memory's pretty good. Last time, your waist didn't feel quite this soft."
A faint worry crept onto her face.
Thinking back, she'd barely left her office these days, eating instant noodles whenever she got hungry—sometimes seven or eight buckets a day.
No wonder…
"No need to worry. Just a bit of daily exercise and some diet control, and you'll be back to normal."
She sighed. "Alright."
"To be honest, if you want to slim down faster, I can help."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh? You have a slimming recipe?"
"Not exactly a recipe—more of a massage technique that burns fat quickly."
"Really?"
"You've noticed the figures of the girls around me, right?"
"Yes."
"What do you think of them?"
"They're all great!"
"That's partly because I give them slimming massages regularly, so they never have to diet."
"Then please give me that massage too."
"Alright."
----
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