"Why does Miss Qingque look so troubled? Is something bothering you?" Yun Fan tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion as he looked at Qingque across the table.
Hearing this, Qingque couldn't help but roll her eyes. You're asking me what's wrong? Isn't it obvious? I'm broke!
"You... Ugh, fine. Let's exchange contacts. I can't pay you back right now, but I'll settle the debt later, okay?" Qingque sighed helplessly before fishing out her phone from her pocket and waving it in front of Yun Fan.
"Of course." Yun Fan also retrieved his phone from his personal space, and the two exchanged contact information.
Looking at the newly added chibi Qingque avatar in his chat list, Yun Fan nodded to himself. This phone really is ahead of its time—not only does it work perfectly in the Star Rail universe, but it also gave me unlimited credits. The Void Archives truly is impressive.
"Actually, Miss Qingque, you don't need to worry too much. This amount is trivial to me. If it's inconvenient for you, how about we just cancel the debt?"
"Really?! Wait, no... I should still pay you back. It's a matter of principle." Qingque's eyes lit up briefly before she shook her head, rejecting Yun Fan's offer.
Seeing this, Qingque's two friends widened their eyes in disbelief.
Hey! Qingque, are you seriously not reconsidering?! This isn't a small sum! The two exchanged glances before lowering their heads in dismay.
Since Qingque had already set the precedent, even if Yun Fan later offered to waive their debts, how could they possibly accept without losing face?
In the end, the two friends had no choice but to grit their teeth and pay up before hastily leaving, as if fleeing from some monstrous threat.
With them gone, only Qingque and Yun Fan remained at the table, staring at each other in awkward silence.
"W-Well, I should get going now." After a brief pause, Qingque stood up, bid Yun Fan farewell, and prepared to make a quick exit.
"Miss Qingque, wait a moment."
"Huh? Is there something else?" Qingque stopped and turned, looking puzzled.
"Well, the truth is, I just arrived on the Xianzhou today and don't have a place to stay yet. I was wondering if you might have a spare room at your place where I could stay for a couple of days?"
"Uh..." Qingque hesitated, unsure whether to refuse or agree. Logically speaking, letting a stranger she'd just met stay overnight was clearly inappropriate. But emotionally, she didn't dislike Yun Fan—in fact, she even felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with him.
"If you agree, I can reduce part of your debt as payment for rent. How about that?" Seeing her hesitation, Yun Fan pressed on with sincerity in his voice.
Staring at Yun Fan's handsome face, Qingque wrestled with her thoughts before finally relenting.
What's there to be afraid of? This guy is clearly some rich young master from who-knows-where—why would he be interested in a small-time diviner like me? Besides, I don't sense any Path energy from him, so he's probably not even a Pathstrider. Even if he did try anything, I could handle it.
"Alright... fine. Follow me."
...
"General!!" Fu Xuan's voice once again echoed through the Seat of Divine Foresight. The Cloud Knights on guard exchanged helpless glances before pulling out earplugs and stuffing them into their ears.
Ah… peace and quiet at last.
"Fu Qing, calm down. Here, let me personally brew you a cup of Ambrosial Arbor tea to cool your temper." Jing Yuan reluctantly retrieved a small tea packet from his desk, prepared a cup for Fu Xuan, then carefully put the rest away.
"Haaah... Ambrosial Arbor tea? General, you're really going all out." Fu Xuan picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp. Instantly, a cooling sensation washed over her, sharpening her thoughts and slightly alleviating the pain from her third eye's side effects.
"Haha, no need for flattery, Fu Qing. If it keeps you from getting angry, I'd give it all to you without hesitation."
"Tch. If I actually took you up on that, you'd be heartbroken, wouldn't you? Enough nonsense—next time, make sure to forward any important messages immediately. Understood?" Fu Xuan puffed out her cheeks, putting on a fierce expression.
Jing Yuan had known about the Aeon of Causality's impending visit to the Xianzhou days ago, but this guy had overslept and forgotten to tell her!
Because of him, she'd spent three whole days pointlessly drifting through the starry seas in her ship. Grrr! So infuriating!
The angrier she got, the more Fu Xuan ignored Jing Yuan. After refilling her cup and draining it again, she stood up abruptly and marched toward her domain—the Divination Commission.
"Diviner Fu Xuan!"
"Good morning, Diviner Fu Xuan!"
"Diviner Fu Xuan, you're back! There's a document here that requires your signature." Fu Xuan paused and turned toward the voice. A young and beautiful foxian woman was hurrying toward her with quick, light steps.
"Ah, Jingzhai. Let me see... Hmm, a request from the Artisanship Commission? They want to use the Matrix of Prescience to calculate the stress resistance of new materials... Approved." Fu Xuan signed the document and handed it back to Jingzhai before scanning the Divination Commission with her sharp gaze.
"Where's Qingque?" Fu Xuan frowned slightly as she asked Jingzhai, though she already knew the answer.
That girl must have taken advantage of my absence—while I was out searching for the 'Lord of Samsara'—to sneak off and slack again! Despite her immense talent and being groomed as Fu Xuan's successor, Qingque just wouldn't take things seriously.
"Um..." Jingzhai hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"No need to explain. I already know." Fu Xuan waved her hand, signaling Jingzhai to drop the subject.
"Then, Diviner Fu Xuan, should I go retrieve Miss Qingque for you?"
"No need." Fu Xuan shook her head, her pink eyes flickering with irritation.
This time...
"I'll personally drag her back!"