The moment Ryou stepped out the door, he knew he was in trouble.
Keqing had teased him hard this morning—too hard—and now even the walk to work felt like torture. His eyes kept drifting to the women around him, and every time they did, a dangerous thought tried to surface.
He snapped his gaze away, forced the impulse down, and drew a deep breath until he finally calmed a little.
He muttered under his breath, "Keqing… you've really done it this time. At this rate, I'm not going to be able to focus all day."
He narrowed his eyes, already plotting revenge.
"Once I'm done cleaning up the Ministry's mess, I'm going home—and you're going to pay for this."
A few quick steps later, he reached the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
A Millelith guard spotted him and immediately reported, "Ryou-sama, Ganyu-san already sent word. The Ministry staff will work over at Yujing Terrace for now. Once the Ministry is rebuilt, everyone will move back."
"Mm." Keqing had mentioned it last night, but Ryou hadn't expected it to be implemented this fast.
Ningguang must've pushed it through.
The Ministry didn't deal with life-or-death crises every day, but the paperwork never truly stopped—endless petty requests, minor disputes, and miscellaneous nonsense. There was no way the whole staff could just take a holiday. Moving them to Yujing Terrace made sense.
Ryou headed up to Yujing Terrace.
"Ryou-sama!"
"Ryou-sama!"
The Ministry staff called out as soon as they saw him.
Ryou swept his eyes over them. "Who's missing?"
"Zhongli-san…" one of them started.
Ryou frowned. "Zhongli didn't come?"
"No, no! I mean—Zhongli-san just arrived. He's right behind you!" the staffer blurted out.
Ryou turned and, sure enough, Zhongli was walking up.
He looked back and shot the staffer a sharp glare. "Learn to finish a sentence. I'll let it slide this time. Next time, I'm docking five days of pay."
"Y-yes…" The staffer went pale and didn't dare say another word.
The Ministry's salary was generous. Five days wasn't pocket change.
Ryou lifted a hand. "Alright. Everyone inside. Get to work."
When he stepped into the workspace, he paused.
Long tables and chairs had already been set up, supplies laid out, and everything looked ready to run at full speed. The room was even larger than the Ministry's usual office, and the atmosphere was miles better—bright, clean, and comfortable instead of that dim, cramped gloom back in town.
Which wasn't surprising.
The Ministry sat right by Feiyun Slope—the busiest street in all of Liyue Harbor. And with the Rite of Descension coming up, the crowds had surged by nearly forty percent. The streets were packed from morning to night.
Even after the Ministry posted an announcement postponing the Rite, the flow of people barely thinned.
Yujing Terrace, on the other hand, was quiet. Millelith guards were stationed all around, and security was taken seriously—Ningguang worked here, Ganyu worked here, and even Ryou's father had an office up here.
The Ministry didn't have a huge staff. There were sixty-eight clerks handling the day-to-day paperwork, and with Zhongli and Ryou included, the total came to seventy.
They could take care of plenty of small issues on their own, but anything that really mattered still had to be escalated. In other words, they were great for clearing the backlog—just not for making the big calls.
Ryou called everyone out into the open.
The staff looked at each other, confused about what he was about to do.
Ryou spoke clearly. "Your base salary is three hundred thousand Mora a month—about the same as the Millelith."
He held up a stack of documents. "Now, the Millelith have better benefits in other ways, so I'm giving you a chance to make extra Mora. See these case files?"
"Starting now, process as many as you want. If your work is solid and Zhongli approves it, you'll earn one thousand Mora per file."
He tapped the stack. "The bonus tracks in seven-day cycles. After seven days, I'll pay out what you've earned."
Eyes lit up across the room.
One thousand Mora per file. If someone handled ten a day, that was ten thousand a day. Over a month, that was enough to match their salary all over again.
"So you're saying we could double our pay…?"
"Ryou-sama," a female staffer asked quickly, "if I finish a hundred files in seven days, that's a hundred thousand Mora, right?"
She wasn't especially pretty, but she had confidence in her ability. Ten files a day was realistic for her—maybe more if she pushed.
Ryou nodded. "Correct."
He looked across the group. "The threshold is seven. Once you've cleared seven files, everything after that counts toward bonus pay."
His tone hardened. "And I mean it. If I say I'll pay you, I'll pay you. Zhongli—keep an eye on it for me."
Zhongli blinked, surprised, then nodded. "Alright."
It was a lot of trivial work, really. For the staff, it should be manageable. For him, it just meant recording counts and reviewing—easier than doing everything himself.
After a brief hesitation, Zhongli asked, "Do I count too?"
Ryou considered him for a moment. "You're Zhongli-san. Your threshold is twenty. After that, one thousand Mora per file."
Zhongli's eyes brightened. "Fair enough."
Ryou slapped a hand on the table. "Good. The files are here. Get moving."
The staff surged forward like they'd been unleashed, scrambling to grab work.
Ryou watched them go, amused.
These were standard files—slightly annoying, maybe, but nothing outrageous. With Zhongli overseeing it, there was no chance of serious mistakes slipping through.
Once everything was in motion, Ryou clasped his hands behind his back and wandered the terrace.
Without really thinking about it, he found himself outside Ganyu's office.
Keqing had told him yesterday to help her more, and he'd agreed. If he'd promised, he'd follow through.
But the door was half open.
"Who's—ah…" Ganyu looked up at the sound, then froze when she saw him standing in the doorway. "Ryou-sensei… you're here."
"I came to check on you," Ryou said, and gently pushed the door open as he walked in.
It wasn't his first time here, but her office still caught his attention.
Keqing's space leaned minimalist—clean lines, not much decoration. Ganyu's office was the opposite: bright and inviting, with fresh air and a soft warmth lingering in the room.
By the window sat potted plants and flowers. Nearby were stacks of case files and books. The desk was neat, with a teacup and a few pastries set aside, and deeper in the room were bundles of Qingxin and other medicinal herbs.
A faint fragrance hung over everything—sweet, floral, and soothing.
Ryou's gaze landed on Ganyu… and something in his eyes shifted.
She wasn't as strikingly aggressive as Shenhe, but her figure had its own gentle fullness. Her clothes were modest, yet they couldn't hide everything; a pale sliver of skin still peeked out in a way that made his thoughts go dangerously quiet for a second.
On any other day, he would've had more resistance—Keqing was already more than enough to test a man's self-control.
But today wasn't any other day.
Keqing had lit the fuse at home, and now even the cool morning felt like scorching midsummer. The heat under his skin was unbearable.
Ryou forced the thoughts back down hard.
This was Ganyu's office. He couldn't lose control here. It was all Keqing's fault for pushing him that far this morning.
Once he finished work and got home… he'd deal with her properly.
"Ryou-sensei?" Ganyu asked, noticing his expression shifting again and again. "Is something wrong?"
She lifted her eyes to him—and instantly sucked in a breath.
For some reason, her mind flashed to Mt. Aocang in Jueyun Karst: towering, proud, rising so high it felt like it could brush the sky. Among all the peaks, it was the one that left the deepest impression.
Her cheeks burned. She looked away, flustered.
Ryou cleared his throat. "Don't… overthink it. I just remembered something."
He hurriedly changed the subject. "Anyway—Keqing told me to help you with your paperwork."
"Ah—no, I wasn't overthinking anything," Ganyu said too quickly. "Um… I do have some files, but I don't need you to handle them for me."
She took a breath, then added softly, "Could you sit nearby and guide me instead? After I'm done, I'll ask you about anything I'm unsure of."
The moment she met his eyes again, her face grew even hotter. She looked down, too guilty to hold the gaze.
Ryou noticed, but assumed it was still about the awkward moment just now, so he didn't press.
He pulled over a long chair and sat beside her.
"Go ahead," he said. "If you don't understand something, ask. If you're calling me sensei, then I'll teach you."
"T-thank you, Ryou-sensei." Ganyu looked genuinely thrilled.
She admired his ideas and the way he solved problems—things she didn't think she could ever come up with on her own. Having a chance like this felt priceless.
She immediately got to work.
Ryou regretted sitting so close almost instantly.
Ganyu's scent was clearer at this distance—clean, gentle, threaded with a light floral sweetness. It was calming in the worst possible way, like feeding oxygen to a fire.
Keqing had done this to him. If she hadn't teased him into this state, he wouldn't be struggling so badly right now.
If he stood up, Ganyu would definitely notice.
If he stayed seated… the stimulation only got worse.
For the first time in his life, Ryou truly understood what it meant to be unable to sit still.
…
Ryou exhaled and tried to "talk things through" with his body using sheer willpower.
[System]
Ding! Congratulations—Medical Skill has increased to Level 4 (only effective when used on women)!
Ryou's face darkened.
What kind of "medical skill" had his hand been learning yesterday, and why the hell did it only work on women?
That reminder made him think of it again—yesterday, his [Hand] and [Eyes] had asked for leave. When they came back, they hadn't brought him anything.
Worse, Ryou had noticed a fresh cut on his hand, stained with blood. A thin blade mark he couldn't even heal away.
At the time, Keqing had been clinging to him so relentlessly that he hadn't thought too hard about it.
[Ryou]
What were you two doing yesterday? Where's the item?
[Hand]
Didn't get it. We were spotted.
[Eyes]
Master, I saw Hand touching a woman. That woman was gorgeous.
[Hand]
Lies. I was practicing "treatment." And I brought back medical skill for Master. Eyes, you're slandering me!
[Ryou]
Then explain why my hand came back bleeding—with a knife cut I can't even erase.
[Hand]
Master, I'm sorry… it's because that woman was too strong. She used adeptal power!
[Ryou]
…?
[Ryou]
Have I met her?
[Hand]
I don't have eyes. I can't see.
[Eyes]
Your Majesty, that girl was Xianyun!
[Ryou]
…?
[Ryou]
I sent you to steal an item and you went after a three-eyed, five-manifest adeptus? Are you two trying to get me killed?
[Eyes]
…
[Hand]
Master, give me one more chance! Next time I'll definitely succeed!
[Ryou]
Next time, go study medicine. Don't learn anything else. And don't go provoking that woman again.
…
Ryou pulled his mind back and stared down at his hand.
The cut was still there—clear as day.
Realizing his hand had somehow picked a fight with Cloud Retainer made a cold shiver creep up the back of his neck.
But why was Cloud Retainer in Liyue Harbor?
Was she here to check on Ganyu? Or was she worried about Shenhe?
Still… something didn't add up.
Hand wasn't that fast. If it truly ran into Cloud Retainer, it shouldn't have made it back at all.
Which meant either she let it go… or she wanted it to go.
Ryou's throat tightened.
What if she was setting a trap—letting him think he'd gotten away, just to lure him out later?
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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