Returning to Liyue Harbor, Stelle escorted Xiangling all the way home.
Although she was a bit nervous, Xiangling definitely wouldn't tell Chef Mao about this, so as long as they acted naturally, the problem wouldn't be too big...
"Xiangling, what happened to your leg?" Chef Mao's first question immediately made both of them stiffen.
Chef Mao usually cared a lot about his daughter's physical condition. He saw at a glance that Xiangling's walking posture was a bit off today.
"Lulu?" Guoba also widened his eyes, looking at Xiangling with a puzzled expression.
Of course, Guoba also saw many things that Chef Mao couldn't see, but unfortunately, Guoba couldn't speak at all, and now Guoba was almost like an ordinary little bear. Although Guoba could see some things, he couldn't quite understand them.
"I, I accidentally tripped over a Shitou when I came back and sprained my ankle a bit," Xiangling said, feigning composure.
She rarely lied to Chef Mao, and this time she had no choice but to do so, feeling incredibly nervous.
"Oh, you child, why are you so careless? How many times have I told you...?" Chef Mao looked at Xiangling helplessly, then began his nagging.
It wasn't the first time Xiangling had stayed out overnight like this. Chef Mao had long been accustomed to it, so he could only nag a few words. After all, she was his precious daughter, what else could he do?
Usually, Xiangling would let Chef Mao's nagging go in one ear and out the other, but this time, she listened attentively for a rare change.
Because she was afraid of missing any information and accidentally revealing a flaw, exposing her and Stelle's secret.
"Miss Stelle, you've really gone to a lot of trouble," Chef Mao said kindly to Stelle after he finished nagging.
"Thank you for bringing Xiangling back. This child has been restless since she was little..."
"Not at all, after all, Xiangling was also accompanying me... Um, it's all my fault," Stelle rubbed her head, somewhat afraid to meet Chef Mao's gaze.
It could only be said that it was fortunate Stelle was a girl, otherwise Chef Mao probably wouldn't be so amiable towards Stelle.
One must know, they had camped together in the wild, sleeping in one tent.
If it were a boy, Chef Mao would probably have been frantic by now...
Of course, in reality, what should have happened and what shouldn't have happened had already occurred, so Stelle felt very guilty facing Chef Mao.
Fortunately, so far Chef Mao hadn't noticed anything amiss.
"Well, I won't disturb you, I'll head back now." Stelle felt that staying here would only lead to more trouble, so it was better to leave quickly.
If Chef Mao found out she had 'bent' his precious daughter, he would probably explode on the spot and grab a spatula to fight her to the death.
"It's already this late, Stelle, why don't you have a meal before you go?" Xiangling subconsciously tried to keep her.
"Yes, Miss Stelle, it's on the house," Chef Mao also said with a smile.
"No, no, I, um, have another appointment..." Stelle quickly shook her head, instinctively making up a lie.
"I'll come again next time."
"Alright, in that case, we won't keep you," Chef Mao nodded, seeing Stelle's response.
"Okay... Xiangling, I'll come see you later," Stelle turned her head and said to Xiangling.
"Okay, I'll wait for you!" Xiangling nodded.
After Stelle left and her figure gradually disappeared from their sight, Chef Mao and Xiangling went back inside the house.
"Your relationship with that Miss Stelle seems quite good," Chef Mao said casually.
"Ah, haha, yes, yes, we've known each other for a long time..." Xiangling felt a bit guilty, her eyes wandering.
"Very good, very good. She looks like a good child. I'm at ease with you associating with her," Chef Mao nodded, seemingly very satisfied with Stelle.
It was also a matter of comparison; among the friends his daughter used to play with, Hu Tao was the girl, and that Director Hu seemed utterly unreliable...
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Walking back, Stelle let out a heavy sigh.
It was fine as long as she wasn't found out. As for the future... that could wait.
"Thinking about it carefully, Lumine's plan was quite successful," Stelle slowed her pace, thinking silently in her mind.
Although she still felt it wasn't a proper approach, the honey trap indeed worked wonders.
She had only been in Liyue for a short time but had already gained much, from Yelan, who held a certain position in Liyue's upper echelons, to Xiangling, an adeptus's disciple.
Not to mention Hu Tao; Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's status in Liyue was also extraordinary.
If she could truly conquer all the female high-ranking officials in Liyue, then perhaps it wouldn't be difficult for Lumine to speak directly with Rex Lapis during the Please Immortal Ceremony...
Speaking of Lumine, she wondered if she had returned. She seemed to have taken on a commission and left the day before yesterday, and a long time had passed since then.
Even if it was a troublesome commission, it should be almost done, right?
Perhaps it was a telepathic connection, as she was just thinking about Lumine when Stelle happened to look up and saw two familiar figures.
Lumine and Paimon were walking towards her, one behind the other.
"Lumine~" Stelle quickly waved at her, then hurried towards them.
However, after meeting, Stelle hadn't had a chance to say anything when she saw Paimon flying towards her.
"Stelle!" Paimon tightly clutched Stelle's collar, seemingly startled by something, leaving Stelle momentarily at a loss.
"W-what's wrong?" Stelle held Paimon in her arms, looked at her in confusion, then asked Lumine.
"How to put it... It's a long story," Lumine also looked a bit tired, shaking her head helplessly.
"It was so scary, Stelle, we met a ghost!" Paimon lifted her head from Stelle's embrace, saying to Stelle with lingering fear.
"Uh, met a ghost?" Stelle blinked, looking at Lumine in surprise.
Lumine also nodded.
Then she briefly told her about their experiences these past few days.
Originally, Lumine and Paimon had only accepted a very simple commission to clear out a Hilichurl camp. The Hilichurl camp was located quite far away, around Wuwang Slope.
However, they had been there once before, so the path was somewhat familiar, and they didn't take this commission too seriously.
After arriving at Wuwang Slope, they quickly found the Hilichurl camp and promptly eliminated all the Hilichurls in the camp.
On their way back, they met a girl named Xiaojiujiu...
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