A short while later, inside Ganyu's office at Yuehai Pavilion.
The lighting was soft, and the only sound in the room was the quiet rustling of pen against paper. Since there was only one main desk, Yi Chen pulled over a chair and sat right next to Ganyu. The two of them worked shoulder to shoulder, heads lowered as they processed documents.
They were so close that they could clearly feel each other's body heat—and even the rhythm of each other's breathing.
Ganyu, however, was clearly distracted. The pen in her hand hadn't moved for quite a while.
Out of the corner of her eye, she kept glancing—again and again—at Yi Chen beside her.
Under the lamplight, the lines of his profile were especially clear. His long lashes cast a small shadow as they lowered, and his expression was one of focused seriousness—the look he always had when handling important work.
So close…
The thought surfaced uncontrollably, making Ganyu's heart skip a beat.
But… it wasn't a bad thing.
It even made her secretly happy.
At least at this moment, he was sitting beside her—
not running off somewhere else telling someone "I like you."
She whispered that reassurance to herself, trying to suppress the lingering sourness from earlier in the day.
The quiet atmosphere lasted a bit longer, but Ganyu finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She quietly set down her pen, her hands twisting together on her lap. Her fingertips turned slightly pale.
"Yi Chen…"
Yi Chen immediately looked up from the documents and turned toward her.
"What's wrong, Ganyu?"
Being looked at so attentively made Ganyu's cheeks warm, her heart beating faster. She instinctively avoided his gaze, lowering her head as her voice grew softer—almost a murmur, yet still clearly audible to him.
"Um… that is… why did you suddenly… confess to Lady Keqing?"
"I–I just felt it was a bit sudden… and Lady Keqing doesn't seem very used to such direct approaches…"
Hearing Ganyu's careful yet clearly concerned question, Yi Chen subconsciously inhaled, his scalp tingling slightly.
There was absolutely no way he could explain the system mission—but facing Ganyu's worried, searching eyes, he also couldn't bring himself to outright lie.
"Ah, well… haha…"
He gave an awkward laugh, his eyes drifting away.
"Ganyu, don't worry! I was just… uh… acting on impulse? Or maybe expressing a kind of… special respect for the Yuheng Star? Anyway!"
He patted his chest firmly, striking a reassuring pose.
"I definitely won't harass her! I know my limits! If Lady Keqing clearly says she dislikes it, I'll stop immediately and won't trouble her at all! You can rest assured!"
But to Ganyu, those words carried an entirely different meaning.
Won't harass her…
Ganyu quietly looked at Yi Chen's evasive, noncommittal expression. The tiny bit of hope and probing in her heart was instantly replaced by a clear realization—
This kid… is brushing me off.
He had no intention of telling her the real reason.
He probably didn't even realize what her question truly meant.
A wave of helplessness and deeper grievance surged up, mixed with just a hint of anger.
She wasn't asking whether he'd keep pestering Keqing.
She wanted to know why he suddenly did something like that.
Was it because Keqing was special? Or…
But looking at Yi Chen's still-clear eyes—now clearly screaming please let me off—all her words got stuck in her throat.
Ganyu silently lowered her head, picked up her pen again, gripping it so tightly her fingers whitened. Her voice was quiet and emotionless.
"…I understand."
She didn't press further, didn't look at him again, and returned her attention to the documents—
as if the question had been nothing more than casual conversation.
Yet the faint aura of low spirits around her, and her noticeably more withdrawn silence, made it feel as though an invisible wall had formed between them despite their physical closeness.
Yi Chen blinked, looking at the suddenly quiet Ganyu. He vaguely felt that she hadn't actually been comforted—
if anything, she seemed even more upset.
Women really are hard to understand…
The next morning.
Yi Chen stood early at the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion, one hand carrying a bag of steaming, fragrant meat buns, the other holding a bouquet made of freshly dewed Qingxin and Silk Flowers.
When Keqing strode over briskly, ready to start her workday, she immediately spotted the conspicuous "obstacle" at the door.
She paused slightly, then walked over.
"Yi Chen? You're here again."
"But I'm sorry—my answer is the same as yesterday. It's still not possible."
To be fair, Keqing didn't dislike Yi Chen as a person.
In fact, she found his blunt, slightly reckless honesty—and his willingness to back off after rejection—far more refreshing than the clingy, roundabout types.
But as she'd said before, they barely knew each other.
Declaring "liking" someone on impulse felt irresponsible and poorly thought-out to her.
Feelings, in her view, needed to be built on mutual understanding and recognition. That was the Yuheng Star's principle.
Yi Chen showed no disappointment at all.
Instead, he smoothly handed her the warm bag of buns.
"No problem! You should eat first—work is important."
Keqing froze slightly. The tempting aroma drifted into her nose.
She had skipped breakfast.
Almost unconsciously, she took the bag. It was warm to the touch.
"…Thank you."
She spoke softly, then immediately returned to a professional tone.
"I'll pay you back later."
"No need, no need!"
Yi Chen waved his hands, smiling brightly.
"Just consider it an apology for taking up a bit of your time. I'll head to work now! See you, Lady Keqing!"
With that, he turned cleanly and decisively, holding the unsent flowers, and jogged off toward his temporary workstation.
Keqing stood there holding the warm buns, watching his retreating back.
She shook her head slightly.
Honestly… being quietly cared for—albeit in a strange way—while having one's boundaries fully respected…
…it felt pretty nice.
At least, it wasn't unpleasant.
Not far away, behind a thick pillar, Ganyu quietly peeked out, having witnessed everything.
She saw Yi Chen offer breakfast.
Saw Keqing accept it.
Saw their brief exchange.
Saw Keqing standing there with the buns…
Ganyu's heart slowly sank.
He… even prepared breakfast?
And Lady Keqing… accepted it?
So it wasn't completely impossible between them?
A powerful sense of crisis surged up, mixed with sourness and a panicked "my clan's baby is about to be stolen" feeling.
She bit her lip tightly, staring at the buns in Keqing's hands, then toward the direction Yi Chen left.
Please no…
A clan member she just reunited with… don't let him be taken away…
Lost in thought, Ganyu entered Yuehai Pavilion.
The office was quiet in the early morning. She went to her desk as usual—and froze.
On the tabletop sat a small oil-paper package, with a neatly folded note beside it.
"This is…?"
She unfolded the note.
I brought buns for you too!
No matter how busy work gets, remember to eat breakfast!
:)
Ganyu's heart was gently struck.
He… brought some for me too?
So when he was waiting at the entrance this morning—it wasn't just for Keqing?
Warmth instantly washed away much of the grievance she'd felt earlier.
Even though reason told her this was probably just an extra portion—"everyone gets one"—
the fact that it was placed specifically on her desk still made her feel a little happy.
She carefully picked up the still-warm package.
…Though she had been dieting recently…
She hesitated fiercely.
Finally, finding the perfect excuse, she nodded lightly and murmured to herself:
"Mm… as Yi Chen said, no matter how busy work is, you should eat breakfast. That's healthy. And… wasting food isn't good."
Convincing herself, she opened the package and took a bun, eating slowly.
It tasted really good.
More importantly, the warmth it brought nourished her heart far more than the food itself.
She couldn't help rereading the note, a faint smile forming at the corner of her lips.
The gloom from earlier seemed to dissipate in the steam of the buns.
"please visit patreon.com/UchihaAce"