"One order of Golden Shrimp Balls and one Almond Tofu."
Keqing's ears twitched. She hadn't expected that suspicious character to have the same taste as her. "I'll have an order of Golden Shrimp Balls as well."
"Alright, one moment for both of you!"
The waiter hastily jotted down the orders and moved on, almost like he was patrolling the room.
After choosing her room, the only empty table left was one next to Victor Wang's. Well, it was better than sharing a table with strangers.
"Miss Keqing, aren't you going to try the Almond Tofu here at Wangshu Inn?" The suspicious character took it upon himself to strike up conversation again.
"You're the outsider, aren't you? I've been to Wangshu Inn many times. I don't need you recommending dishes to me."
"Oh? So, what you're saying, Miss Keqing, is that Almond Tofu can't compare to Golden Shrimp Balls?" Victor Wang intentionally raised his voice, clearly trying to let someone hear.
"Just call me Keqing." With her back to him, Keqing tapped her fingers against the table.
"Almond Tofu is merely a dessert. If enjoyed after a meal, it can balance out the oiliness of the Golden Shrimp Balls. But the chefs here manage oil well, and shrimp is already low in fat, so there's really no need for the Almond Tofu."
Hmph!
Keqing heard a faint, ethereal snort. She looked up but the overhanging eaves of the upper floor obscured her view.
Above this roof was a viewing terrace, and further up, a hexagonal loft with no way for outsiders to access. No one ever knew who lived inside.
"Strange, did I mishear?"
Keqing murmured to herself, while a smile crept up the corner of Victor Wang's lips.
"I won't eat! I won't leave! I don't want to leave Dihua Marsh! I want to find my dad..." A shrill cry from a young girl came from inside the inn, drawing curious glances from the diners.
"Zhenzhen, didn't we already talk about this?"
"But my daddy was killed! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"This... sigh..." Huai'an's helpless sigh echoed from inside the inn.
Victor Wang and Keqing stood up at the same time. After exchanging a glance, they both headed into the inn.
"What's going on with this child?"
"Lady Keqing, the girl's father was gravely ill. He asked us a while ago—if anything happened to him, to send the girl to Lady Ningguang's charity home. But… something went wrong."
Seeing that the room was filled with people of authority, Huai'an lowered his voice. "He died under unnatural circumstances. There's talk of something evil."
Before Keqing could react, Ning Zhen caught sight of Victor Wang and shouted, "You're an accomplice! You helped kill my dad! I'll never forget you until I get revenge!"
"Ning Zhen!" Huai'an pressed her pointing hand down, slightly irritated. "You need to understand—your father succumbed to corruption! He was already gone when that happened! This man saved you!"
"Corruption, corruption! I don't understand what that means! I only know my daddy got better after eating Dragonhorn Mushrooms! He got so strong! Then this man and another short guy killed him!"
"Dragonhorn Mushrooms?" Keqing urgently needed someone to explain.
"You were... deceived... When you're older, you'll understand. But don't wrongly accuse someone who saved your life!"
Ning Zhen stared at Victor Wang with eyes full of hatred, as if she might pounce and tear him apart at any moment.
But as Victor Wang, expressionless, approached her, she began to sense the overwhelming difference in size. She clenched her teeth and refused to retreat behind Huai'an.
"I'm not afraid of you!"
"Excellent! One more person in the world who'll remember me forever. I'm flattered. And I'm also sorry... your father's death does have something to do with me."
Victor Wang crouched down in front of her.
"You really want revenge? Wanna give it a shot?"
"Sir—"
Victor Wang raised his left hand, cutting Huai'an off. His gaze remained locked on Ning Zhen as he spoke in a provoking tone. "Come on. Hit me."
"You think I won't?" she snarled through clenched teeth, her eyes burning with fury now mixed with hatred.
It was hard to imagine a child with such a gaze, but after seeing enough of them, you realized children's emotions were more raw and obvious. They didn't hide like adults—you could read their hearts in their dark, unguarded eyes.
"Why are you such a wimp?"
Smack!
Verr Goldet, who had been absently clicking her abacus beads, paused. The cats and dogs—Mao, Wei, Gou, Richie—were all drawn by the sharp, crisp slap. Huai'an looked stunned. Ning Zhen's glare was about to burst into flames. Keqing wore an expression of bewildered surprise.
And Victor Wang… was grinning.
"Again!"
Smack!
Victor Wang snorted with disdain through his nose.
"Didn't eat lunch or what?!"
This time Ning Zhen was truly scared. Her tiny hand, which had just slapped Victor Wang twice, clung tightly to Huai'an's gray robe.
"Little brat, you think you can take revenge? You can't even survive without adults looking after you."
Victor Wang straightened up, then leaned in again, bringing his face even closer—so close she could see her own fear reflected in his eyes.
"I'd be sad if I lost someone who could remember me forever. So let me teach you how to survive—and how to get revenge.
First, survive. Easiest way is to go to that charity home. Then do everything you can to learn. Study. Either go into business or politics. Crush me with wealth and power.
Or, if you think you're some martial prodigy, train. Master the art of combat until you can beat me... and the short guy too.
Right now, you're so weak, I can't even be bothered to crush you."
Victor Wang turned and walked away, not even glancing back. Behind him, stifled sobs broke the silence.
"I… I want to go home one last time before I leave…"
"Let's eat first. You still have the afternoon."
…
Keqing spent a few minutes getting up to speed before awkwardly sitting back at the table.
"I never expected something like this to happen in Dihua Marsh…"
"Aren't you one of the Liyue Qixing? And you didn't know?"
"Yeah... And to think I'm one of the Liyue Qixing..." Keqing bit her lip, furious at her own ignorance.
"Dihua Marsh was once flooded during the war, turning fertile plains into wetlands. So many god remains were buried that for a long time it couldn't support life. It's only in recent years that people returned. Reports of unnatural deaths have become rare. I assumed..."
"You assumed everything was back to normal?"
"...I thought the rumored youthful adeptus might finally lay down his burdens in this era of human governance. But I have to admit—Dihua Marsh still needs him. Remnants of gods aren't things humans can deal with."
The rumored youthful adeptus?
Oh, that's right. Keqing didn't really know Xiao. No wonder she was unfamiliar with Dihua Marsh's situation. But Ningguang definitely knows Xiao, right?
So even among the Liyue Qixing, there wasn't perfect unity.
Victor Wang didn't press Keqing any further, but she couldn't settle down.
Normally, just one Golden Shrimp Ball would melt away all her stress. But now, it tasted bland. Meanwhile, the man across from her seemed to be enjoying his Almond Tofu just fine.
"Why would you willingly demean yourself?"
"Because I'm dumb. Couldn't think of a better way to convince her to leave. Honestly, I hate being wrongly accused... but in this case, I probably do bear at least one percent of the blame. After all, I was passing by."
Hate being wrongly accused?
But your timing with the evil presence… and the two incidents at Mingyun Village… Could all that really be coincidence?
While Keqing pondered, Victor Wang glanced over. "Why aren't you eating your Golden Shrimp Balls? I've had them cold before—huge difference in taste."
Someone actually eats cold Golden Shrimp Balls? That's… odd.
"Is the Almond Tofu good?"
"Didn't you say you didn't need my recommendations?"
Keqing didn't argue. She flagged the waiter and ordered a portion of Almond Tofu. Only then did the man softly say, "My mom used to say, 'When things are bitter, eat something sweet.'"
In that moment, she saw a person who bore burdens in public but cried in private—a pitiable, yet admirable soul.
But Victor Wang turned around and shattered that image. "So, you really not gonna eat your Golden Shrimp Balls? Don't waste food—pass it here."
"Huh?" Keqing protectively curled her arm around the plate. "Who said I'm not eating it?"
"My mom also said, 'Worry solves nothing. You need to act. If worry is useless, throw it away. If action doesn't help either, then forget the whole thing.'"
"Your mom sounds really wise."
"Maybe. No idea where she picked it all up."
Keqing picked up a Golden Shrimp Ball and took a bite. The flavor came rushing back… Wait a second—was he trying to comfort me? She suddenly realized.