Qin Yu was deeply grateful to Hu Tao. Without her, she wouldn't have reached this point today.
Instead of taking cautious, hesitant baby steps, Hu Tao had encouraged her to take a giant leap forward—all thanks to her unwavering encouragement.
Yet there was no denying that Hu Tao's quirky, unpredictable nature never failed to bring surprises.
Most of the time, these surprises were just plain shocking.
"Hey, Fishy Treasure," Hu Tao asked again with a mischievous grin, squirming slightly, "if I wanted to do that kind of thing with you in bed... what would you think? Would you say yes?"
Evaluation: D
Lying in bed reading, Qin Yu froze.
"Huh?"
Doing that kind of thing in bed...? Could it be...?
Qin Yu's face flushed crimson as she glared at Hu Tao. "What are you suddenly saying?! I don't want to, I don't need to, and I absolutely won't agree."
Hu Tao looked utterly disappointed. "Your answer is so unfair."
"Well, it's your fault for bringing this up out of nowhere. My reaction is perfectly normal."
"Visit Hu Tao's room once a week and spend at least two hours here"—Qin Yu and Hu Tao still adhered to this agreement.
Though it had long lost its original purpose, Qin Yu still came.
This arrangement had initially been intended to allow Qin Yu to shed her mask, to breathe freely, and to grow accustomed to existing without her facade.
But now, the people Qin Yu cared about most had already accepted her true self...
Ah, come to think of it, I haven't told Sister Ganyu yet, Qin Yu suddenly realized.
Her recent life had been a whirlwind of one crisis after another. She'd barely finished dealing with Osial's wife when she had to resolve issues with Ningguang and Keqing.
There simply hadn't been time for anything else.
Now that the tension had eased and she had room to think, Qin Yu recalled her unfinished goal:
To have Shenhe and the others accept her for who she truly was.
And that goal was just one step away.
Shenhe, Ningguang, Keqing, Hu Tao, and Yanfei had all chosen to accept her. The only one left to explain things to properly was Ganyu.
Qin Yu thought it would be fine.
After all, it's Sister Ganyu... Qin Yu thought somewhat shyly, then mused that having Ganyu as her sister wouldn't be bad at all.
She pushed these wandering thoughts aside.
Since her goal was now just one step away from completion, with the probability of success nearly guaranteed, and she already had a true home where she could relax and find peace of mind, visiting Hu Tao seemed unnecessary.
Yet Qin Yu continued to keep their weekly appointments.
There wasn't a particular reason; she simply felt there was no harm in continuing.
Even though they often ran into each other while Hu Tao was out wandering, there was never any concern about not seeing her.
Qin Yu idly flipped through a book.
"Is it interesting?"
"So-so."
"Want to go out and play?"
"Tired. Don't feel like moving."
After a few back-and-forth exchanges, Hu Tao suddenly climbed onto Qin Yu, forcibly wriggling out from under her arm until her entire face filled most of Qin Yu's vision.
"I can't see the book anymore," Qin Yu said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Hu Tao grinned mischievously. "Who cares about some book? If it's not interesting, just put it down. Let's do something more fun instead."
With that, she lowered her head.
Evaluation: C-
Evaluation: C+
Evaluation: B
Qin Yu turned her face away, sighing helplessly, "Is this what you consider 'interesting'?"
Hu Tao licked her lips, savoring the moment. "I find it quite interesting," she said, "especially seeing Fishy Treasure gradually getting used to me, even becoming compliant."
"That's not true."
"It is! Look, even when I kiss you suddenly, you don't push me away anymore. You even seem to enjoy it."
Qin Yu closed her book and gently tapped Hu Tao's head. "That's your imagination."
Enjoying it? Impossible.
Evaluation: A-
Are you glitching?
Hu Tao feigned a dramatic "Ouch!" from the tap, then shifted her position, resting her head directly on Qin Yu's stomach.
"Wow, so soft!" Hu Tao giggled.
Qin Yu's face flushed even deeper, but seeing Hu Tao make no further moves, she relaxed her guard and let her lie there.
Hu Tao yawned, stretching her arms and legs wide. "Ah—I'm so bored."
"Go to sleep then."
"No way, I'm not sleepy yet. But if we keep doing nothing, I might get so bored I fall asleep."
Hu Tao continued, "Oh, I heard about you piloting that big metal thing and fighting the Sea Snake to the bitter end! Tell me all about it!"
"There's nothing interesting about it."
"Just killing time," Hu Tao said nonchalantly.
Qin Yu saw no harm in it and casually recounted the whole story from beginning to end.
"So, we Liyueans just gave a good beating to a bitter, resentful woman?" Hu Tao summarized.
"This bitter, resentful woman could have drowned us all with a tsunami," Qin Yu remarked casually.
Hu Tao sighed dramatically. "Aiya, how terrifying! Does this have anything to do with your recent moodiness?"
Qin Yu paused, taken aback. "Moodiness?"
Hu Tao turned to face her. "Exactly! Your face these past few days looked... well, like something. But today, you're back to normal."
Like something... Qin Yu couldn't imagine ever letting her negative feelings show to others. But for Hu Tao, reading her emotions probably wasn't difficult at all.
Qin Yu knew exactly what Hu Tao was referring to: the "Lover's Choice" matter. She could sense the genuine concern in Hu Tao's voice, but this topic was too sensitive to discuss openly.
"Mm, it's all resolved now," Qin Yu said, keeping her tone neutral.
Hu Tao's tone was loaded with meaning. "Oh, resolved? Just as expected from my Fishy Treasure! I was even planning to help you sort it out myself if you still looked so glum today!"
Hu Tao "helping" sort it out? Qin Yu could only imagine the chaos that would ensue.
"So, what was the problem?" Hu Tao pressed, her curiosity piqued.
While Qin Yu was still formulating a response, Hu Tao pondered aloud: "Wait, let me guess!"
"For you, the biggest problem... Ah, I've got it! Is it something romantic? Like, you got too close to another girl, made someone jealous, and caused a fight?"
Whoa, she guessed that much?! Even Qin Yu was astonished.
Seeing Qin Yu's reaction, Hu Tao knew she was on the right track. But she also realized that this alone couldn't explain Qin Yu's current state. It had to be something more serious.
"Could it be that you got confessed to by more than one person?" Hu Tao guessed again.
Qin Yu stammered, "Well..."
Her hesitation only confirmed Hu Tao's suspicion.
"Whoa, really?! Who was it? Hmm... It definitely wouldn't be Shenhe or Yanfei, and Ganyu seems unlikely too. Oh, I get it now! It's our Yuheng and Tianquan, isn't it?"
Spot on.
Left with no choice, Qin Yu nodded in acknowledgment. "Mhm..."
What will Hu Tao think? Qin Yu wondered anxiously. Will she think I'm...
Before she could finish her thought, Hu Tao suddenly sat up straight, as if she'd been spring-loaded.
"Impressive!"
"Huh?"
That's her reaction?!
Hu Tao crossed her arms and nodded vigorously. "Yuheng Keqing and Tianquan Ningguang both confessed to you, but you didn't reject my kiss earlier. So that means..."
Realization dawned on Hu Tao.
"You became their girlfriend?"
Qin Yu hadn't uttered a word, yet Hu Tao had already pieced together the entire story.
"Am I right?" Hu Tao leaned closer, pressing for an answer.
Qin Yu had no choice but to admit again, "Yes... you're right."
She glanced at Hu Tao, anxiously anticipating her reaction, only to be caught off guard by another sudden kiss.
Startled and momentarily disoriented, Qin Yu closed her eyes and chose to accept.
Why would Hu Tao still want to do this after hearing that?
Qin Yu didn't quite understand, but Hu Tao was always full of surprises, so in that sense, it almost made sense...
Evaluation: A+
Evaluation: S
Evaluation: SS-
Hu Tao remained insatiable, deeply enamored with the melting warmth and tenderness this affection brought her.
If only she could experience it more deeply.
Coincidentally, she knew just the way.
Hu Tao was brimming with curiosity about this method, eager to discover how it would feel to try it with Qin Yu.
Her excitement bubbling once more, she exclaimed, "Hey Fishy Treasure, how about we try that?"
"That? Which that?"
Hu Tao whispered something in Qin Yu's ear, and a vibrant blush spread across Qin Yu's skin.
Evaluation: SS+
"I-I said I don't want to!" Qin Yu protested.
"But I do."
Qin Yu huffed, "I don't care what you want! And why do you suddenly want to do this? Is it just curiosity again? You can't just do something like this out of mere curiosity—"
"The reason is simple," Hu Tao said with a mischievous grin. "I like you, Fishy Treasure."
"......Eh?"
Evaluation: SSS-