"That person?"
Lin Mo frowned slightly, puzzled. "Are you talking about… Guizhong?"
"So it really is…"
In Ningguang's eyes, filled with quiet resentment, a single tear slipped down her cheek.
"Hey—wait!"
Lin Mo hurriedly waved his hands. "You've got it wrong. I've never thought of you as her!"
"You said her name immediately, and you still want to deny it?"
Even as she cried, Ningguang still carried that faintly proud bearing.
Lin Mo: ???
Can women in love please be a little more reasonable?
"No, no, I'm really not trying to wriggle out of it."
Lin Mo quickly held Ningguang by the shoulders, about to explain—
But Ningguang tried to push away the hands resting on her shoulders.
Unfortunately for her…
These were the hands of a god.
Not something she could just shove aside.
"Let go of me…"
Ningguang said coldly.
"Guang'er~ calm down!"
"You—!"
A flash of embarrassment crossed Ningguang's eyes. "Who are you calling 'Guang'er'? Show some respect."
"Alright, alright—Lady Ningguang. Just hear me out, okay?"
Ningguang didn't respond.
She simply stared at Lin Mo with tearful, reproachful eyes.
At least she seemed a bit calmer now—on the surface, anyway.
Seizing the moment, Lin Mo hurried to explain.
"I admit it—among the people I know, you do resemble Guizhong a little. But your temperament and personality are completely different!"
"How are they different?" Ningguang asked coolly.
"Uh… she was lively and adorable, like the girl next door—very approachable."
"And you—noble, proud. You give people the feeling that you're to be admired from afar, not… toyed with."
Lin Mo felt his summary was spot-on.
"What do you mean by 'toyed with'?"
Ningguang frowned.
"Uh… I mean, disrespected? Mistreated?"
"You…!"
A blush instantly spread across Ningguang's cheeks.
In that moment, her mind involuntarily flashed to the shameful scenes from her dreams.
"Ahem… Anyway, you're not the same."
"Besides, before I met you, I didn't even know what you looked like, right?" Lin Mo added with a smile.
"So how could I have deliberately approached you?"
When Lin Mo mentioned this, Ningguang couldn't help but recall the moment she first met him—back in the dreamscape.
Liyue. The Jade Chamber.
"Lady Ningguang…"
"I can still work, really…"
Ganyu looked at Ningguang, who was reviewing documents, her expression full of grievance.
Without lifting her head, Ningguang said, "I never said you couldn't work. I just think it's time to find someone to share your workload."
Just last month, Ganyu had accidentally fallen asleep a few times while working overtime—incidents Ningguang happened to witness.
She saw Ganyu's dedication, as well as the strain she was under.
And so, she had the Ministry of Civil Affairs issue a recruitment notice throughout Liyue for a secretary.
The document Ningguang was currently reading was precisely the list of applicants sent over by the Ministry.
She selected a stack of files and handed them to Ganyu.
"Take a look. See if there's anyone among these who you find suitable."
Ganyu took the files, a trace of reluctance on her face.
But she knew Ningguang had already made up her mind.
So she patiently began reviewing the candidates.
Working beside Tianquan Ningguang in the Jade Chamber was sensational news throughout Liyue.
Countless people were scrambling for the position.
As a result, the resumes were all impressive—most applicants had backgrounds in commerce or experience with major trade guilds.
What surprised Ningguang, however, was that one person with no work experience at all had still been placed on the shortlist.
"Lin Mo… eighteen years old…"
Ganyu pulled out Lin Mo's application, puzzled. "Lady Ningguang, isn't this a mistake?"
"I knew you'd ask," Ningguang said calmly.
As she spoke, she handed over another document. "Take a look at this. It's something he submitted along with his personal information."
"Alright, let me see."
Ganyu accepted the file.
At a glance, her expression turned strange.
"'A Five-Year Plan for Liyue's Commercial Development'?!"
"What is this?"
Curious, Ganyu flipped it open.
"With Inazuma under lockdown, Liyue's maritime trade has become dominant, but this monopoly has already reached a bottleneck."
"A bottleneck in sea trade also means Liyue can no longer maintain the rapid growth of recent years."
"Mondstadt, Fontaine, and Snezhnaya are all advancing. If Liyue stands still, that is equivalent to falling behind."
"Facing this predicament, I have summarized five possible solutions."
"One: Reduce investment in maritime trade."
"Shift our focus to the entire world, seizing Liyue's strategic position as an inland trade hub."
"We should leverage Liyue's logistical advantages to transform from a logistics powerhouse into a true trade powerhouse."
"Two: I ran out of ink!? Hopefully… we can meet and discuss this in person."
Ganyu: ???
Ganyu stared wide-eyed.
She'd been expecting to read the remaining four strategies.
What did "ran out of ink" mean?!
Ink cost only a few mora!
Wasn't this deliberately baiting curiosity?
"So, what do you think of this person?"
Ningguang asked with interest.
"He… seems talented," Ganyu said hesitantly, "but he also looks rather sly."
She hated having her curiosity deliberately teased.
If this person really became a secretary in the Jade Chamber, wouldn't that be exactly what he wanted?
Just thinking about it made her annoyed.
Ningguang merely smiled faintly.
"He may be playing tricks, but I'm genuinely interested in those remaining four plans."
"Have him come see me tomorrow," she decided.
"I want to see whether he truly has substance—or if he's just good at clever little ploys."
"Understood, Lady Ningguang."
Though reluctant, Ganyu said no more.
The next day—
"Lady Ningguang, I've long admired you!"
Lin Mo's bright, cheerful voice rang out in the Jade Chamber.
"Don't be so happy just yet," Ningguang said coolly.
"I'm only meeting you. That doesn't mean I'll definitely hire you."
Lin Mo didn't mind at all. He laughed and said,
"Whether I'm hired or not is something for later. Just being able to meet the elegant, graceful, and fabulously wealthy Lady Ningguang already makes me more than satisfied."
"Hmph. Flattery won't help you," Ningguang replied flatly.
She slid the document he had submitted back across the table.
"Explain the remaining four plans in detail. That's the real reason I agreed to see you."
"Oh? Lady Ningguang, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Lin Mo grinned mischievously as he pushed the file back toward her.
"You wrote 'to be discussed in person' in the document," Ningguang frowned.
"Yes, but I also applied for the secretary position," Lin Mo said matter-of-factly.
"If I hand over all my ideas now and don't get hired in the end, wouldn't that be a huge loss for me?"
"What if, in the future, I'm favored by the leaders of another nation?"
"And those ideas end up making Liyue even stronger?"
"Wouldn't that mean I've created a powerful rival for myself?"
Ningguang finally understood.
He was negotiating terms with her.
Only if she first hired him as a secretary of the Jade Chamber would he reveal the answers she wanted.
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T/N:
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