"Brother… sleepy…"
"Brother… hungry…"
In her sleep, Ganyu was being completely honest. Her small body curled up into a ball, murmuring softly. It was hard to tell whether she was starving or simply exhausted from overwork, her little mouth twitched now and then as if nibbling in her dreams.
Hearing her half-asleep whispers about being "hungry" and "sleepy," Su Han couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. He stood up and said softly, "She probably won't like regular food. I'll prepare some Qingxin flowers for her instead."
After a moment's thought, he stepped outside and told his assistants to buy some fresh herbs, wild and newly picked if possible.
The staff didn't understand the strange request, but since it came from the boss, they didn't question it. Luckily, there were plenty of herbalists in Liyue Harbor to handle such errands.
Meanwhile, Ganyu dreamed. In that dream, she met a companion, another qilin. Unlike herself, this one's entire body burned with warm flames. Though it looked intimidating, it gave her a deep feeling of comfort.
It was as if she were basking in sunlight.
No one knew how long she slept before finally stirring awake.
The first secretary of Liyue Harbor slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment she looked dazed, trying to recall how she ended up here. Then memory began to return, bit by bit.
"Wasn't I… in line?"
A strange room.
A strange place.
Had she been… kidnapped? The thought made her sit up in alarm. Her gaze darted around until it met that of a man standing nearby. His face looked somewhat familiar, but what caught her attention most was the faint, familiar aura emanating from him.
The aura of her kind.
Bewildered, Ganyu asked softly, "You are…"
Su Han smiled. "Miss Ganyu, my name is Su Han. I used to work as a guest consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I found you sleeping at my doorstep this morning. For your safety, I brought you inside."
Hearing his calm explanation, Ganyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then her cheeks turned crimson as she suddenly remembered, she had clung to someone in her dreams, calling him "brother."
Wait…
She slowly raised her head and looked at Su Han again.
Meeting her suspicious eyes, Su Han immediately averted his gaze, embarrassed. After all, he had held her for quite a while this morning.
His reaction only made Ganyu more certain of her suspicion.
She had never been so close to any man before, and realizing she had been held in someone's arms for so long made her blush even deeper.
Noticing her silence, Su Han quickly tried to change the subject to ease the awkwardness. "Ahem… Miss Ganyu, coming to see me so early in the morning, was there something you needed?"
"Ah? Oh, right! My master... um, could I see your comics first?"
She had originally come to question him for allegedly defaming the qilin race in his work.
But that strange sense of kinship she felt from him, the faint qilin aura, made her hesitate. It felt so familiar, so real, that she decided to read the comic herself before passing judgment.
If Su Han truly possessed qilin blood, there was no reason he would insult his own lineage.
Su Han nodded. "Of course. But you probably haven't had breakfast yet. I've had something prepared."
"No, I don't usually—"
Before she could finish the word "eat," Su Han interrupted by bringing out a plate of fresh Qingxin flowers.
Their faint fragrance immediately filled the room, clearly freshly picked that very morning. The moment she saw them, Ganyu swallowed reflexively.
Watching her dazed expression, Su Han poured her a cup of clear dew and said with a warm smile, "A small gesture of kindness. Please, help yourself."
By then, he had already guessed why she'd come. He silently thanked Xingqiu, without that disclaimer he'd written on the third volume's cover, things could have gotten complicated.
Still, once Ganyu finished reading, everything should clear up.
Ganyu wanted to refuse, but she was too hungry. After staying up all night and skipping meals, she was completely drained. She sneaked a glance at Su Han, seeing he was reading quietly, she let out a small sigh of relief.
"Just a little shouldn't hurt… right?"
She picked up a delicate Qingxin blossom with her pale fingers and gently placed it in her mouth.
The taste was a bit bitter, yet oddly comforting. Before she realized it, she had eaten several more. When her mouth felt dry, she lifted the cup and took a sip, then froze in surprise.
"Su Han… how did you know I like dew?"
Aside from the Liyue Qixing and the adepti, almost no one knew that about her kind.
Su Han looked up and smiled faintly. "A qilin drinks only sweet dew and eats only blessed grain. It's part of your race's nature."
Hearing that, Ganyu's eyes widened. The conviction in her heart grew stronger, he was one of her kind.
"Then… you're a qilin too?" she asked softly.
"Not exactly," Su Han replied. "At most, I have a trace of qilin blood."
He neither denied nor confirmed it. What he said was true, the fruit he'd eaten had given him only a fragment of the qilin's essence.
But to Ganyu, his answer meant something else entirely.
A half-blood qilin, just like her.
"I see," she said gently. "No wonder you understand so much about me. Actually, I came today because of your comic. My master heard that it might be defaming the qilin race. But now… I realize that was nonsense."
She deliberately avoided mentioning her master's name, afraid of causing unnecessary misunderstanding.
Su Han smiled. "I figured as much. Whoever said that probably didn't read very far. On the third volume's cover, I made it clear that the story is purely fictional. And the qilin character's background is deeply explored later on, though it's labeled as a 'demonic beast,' it's actually due to special circumstances. Even the killings were meant to protect the world."
"Really?"
Ganyu's expression softened in surprise. She hadn't expected the story to be so complex.
To prevent further misunderstanding, Su Han gave her a brief outline of the "Dragon Vein" arc. Hearing that the qilin had protected the world for thousands of years, Ganyu finally relaxed completely.
"I knew it. You have qilin blood too, why would you ever slander your own kind? I understand now. I'll make sure to explain everything clearly. Oh, and since we're kin, if you ever need anything, you can come to Yujing Terrace or the Jade Chamber to find me. I'm often away, but they know how to reach me."
"Alright," Su Han nodded.
"Then I won't trouble you further today. Let's talk again another time."
"Of course."
When Ganyu left, she carried a bundle of fresh Qingxin flowers and a copy of Wind and Cloud. Though she insisted she was full, Su Han's gentle persistence was hard to refuse.
"Just one bite doesn't count as eating."
"Herbs have no calories, they're nutritious!"
She didn't quite understand what he meant, but with that earnest smile, how could she say no?
As she walked down the street, the memory of his gentle aura lingered, and a soft smile curved her lips.
"Cloud Retainer always says I struggle to blend in with the people of Liyue… but now, with Su Han's help, maybe I can learn a lot."
"Mm, I'll visit him every few days when I have time."
"It seems my kin is quite successful in business, but rather lonely. We can both learn from each other."
He could teach her how to better live among mortals, and she could share her knowledge of Liyue's commerce.
A perfect balance.
Thinking of this bright future, Ganyu smiled.
"Perhaps… this is what Master meant by fate."
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