"Hiss… Is That Miss Keqing? That Must Be Her Daughter, Right?! They Only Had Their Wedding Last Night!"**
"Uncle Fu, what nonsense are you talking about?!" Keqing said unhappily when she heard him.
"You watched me grow up—can't you recognize me anymore?"
"I… I can recognize you," Uncle Fu said, still staring in disbelief.
"But Miss, you… how did you become like this…?"
"Uncle Fu, there's no need to worry," Li Yan said, shaking his head gently. He glanced toward a few servants standing nearby.
"It was just an accident."
"This won't stay hidden for long anyway. We'll take things as they come."
"Keqing, let's go eat."
"…Mm." Keqing nodded, clearly understanding what Li Yan meant.
With her current appearance, once she went out, people were bound to gossip. Trouble was unavoidable.
She couldn't exactly stop going to the Yuheng Office either.
Just thinking about the mountain of affairs waiting there made her temples ache.
She subconsciously looked at Li Yan, then stopped herself from overthinking it.
Advice was one thing—but handling Liyue's countless administrative matters was another entirely.
She could only take things one step at a time.
After breakfast, Li Yan took Keqing outside.
He carefully picked her up.
"Let's go see Mr. Zhongli first. After that, I'll take you to buy new clothes."
"As for the Yuheng Office…"
"Keqing, let's slow that down a bit. I'm worried about you in your current condition."
"No," Keqing said firmly.
"Even if my body has changed, official duties come first."
"There are too many matters in Liyue every day. They can't manage everything without me."
"I have to go."
She looked at Li Yan seriously.
"I know you're worried about me, but there's no need to persuade me on this."
Hearing her tone, Li Yan fell silent.
This was just how Keqing was.
No matter how long he tried to persuade her, when it came to things she cared deeply about, words were useless.
All he could do was take it slowly.
He believed that with time, she would eventually adjust.
"Alright," he said helplessly. "I'll do it your way."
"Just don't move around too much. Lean on me."
Keqing rolled her eyes at him.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Now that I look like a child, you're trying to satisfy those strange thoughts of yours. Yesterday—"
"Keqing," Li Yan interrupted quickly,
"I heard Mr. Zhongli often goes out for tea. If we're late, we might miss him."
Keqing shot him another glare but didn't continue.
Still, when she thought about last night—how tightly he had held her—she couldn't help feeling flustered.
This guy's thoughts really weren't very healthy.
But… considering their wedding night didn't go as expected, some frustration was understandable.
Still—he really should control his strength better.
It hurt a little.
Li Yan's home wasn't far from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Crossing two streets and a bridge was enough.
Although it was still early, the streets were already lively.
The moment Li Yan appeared carrying Keqing, countless gazes turned toward them—even the Millelith guards stared in shock.
Whispers immediately spread.
"Hiss—Isn't that Doctor Li Yan?"
"Look, look! Isn't that Miss Keqing in his arms?"
"Are you half-asleep? That's clearly a child! Could it be that Miss Keqing had a child already? She looks exactly like her!"
"Yeah! It's practically the same face! And that glare—why does it feel like Miss Keqing herself is staring at me?"
"What's going on? Didn't they just get married yesterday? This is… strange."
…
When they reached the Wangsheng area, Li Yan saw Zhongli sitting at a stone table, calmly sipping tea.
Behind him stood a well-shaped young woman from the funeral parlor, clearly attentive to him.
Li Yan stepped forward.
"Mr. Zhongli, sorry to disturb you so early."
"It's no trouble," Zhongli replied calmly.
"Hmm? Isn't this Miss Keqing? How—"
"Put me down!" Keqing whispered urgently, pinching Li Yan.
Especially under Zhongli's curious gaze, her face felt like it was burning.
Keqing looked up at Zhongli.
"Mr. Zhongli has sharp eyes—you recognized me immediately."
"Li Yan and I came precisely because of this matter."
"Do you know any way for me to return to normal?"
Zhongli studied her carefully, then glanced at Li Yan.
"This…" he said slowly.
"Why don't you both sit down first?"
"Tell me exactly what happened. Only then can I give proper advice."
After a brief pause, he added:
"Still… this is the first time I've ever seen a situation like this."
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