As the saying goes—when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.
As Bai Ge walked deeper into Heyu Teahouse, the Fatui inside were also watching him.
Seeing Bai Ge steadily approach, one of the Anemo Boxers behind Tartaglia frowned, then leaned in closer.
"Lord Childe, the teahouse owner was pretty sensible before and kept people out. Why did he suddenly let someone in? Should I go chase him away?" the Anemo Boxer asked.
At that moment, Tartaglia—lounging casually with one leg crossed over the other, facing the stage and resting with his eyes closed—finally opened his eyes.
"Hm, chase him away? That works too. After all, with Signora here…"
Tartaglia glanced at Signora beside him, who looked utterly bored.
Just as Boss Fan had guessed, Tartaglia himself actually enjoyed opera and didn't mind whether the place was reserved or not.
It was only because Signora happened to be present—and knowing her temperament—that Tartaglia tacitly allowed the owner to clear the venue.
Since it had already been cleared, it might as well be cleared thoroughly.
Having made up his mind, Tartaglia was about to tell the Anemo Boxer to drive Bai Ge out.
"Go chase that guy awa—"
"Hm? Wait."
Tartaglia cut himself off mid-sentence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Bai Ge's silhouette. Abruptly, Tartaglia straightened up, his expression turning serious as he stared at Bai Ge.
A warrior's instinct screamed at him—
This man was not simple.
A disciple of the Abyss, Tartaglia sensed a long-forgotten aura of danger from Bai Ge.
"So… have our rather arrogant actions drawn the dissatisfaction of a native Liyue powerhouse?"
Tartaglia's mind raced.
"The Tsaritsa only ordered us to arrive early and scout things out. The plan hasn't officially begun yet."
"Liyue has adepti—and a god. It's not the weak Mondstadt."
"In that case… it really wouldn't be wise to be too high-profile."
With that thought, Tartaglia's sky-blue eyes narrowed, and he made a decision.
He put on his usual bright, cheerful smile and took the initiative to greet Bai Ge.
"Yo, friend! Here to listen to the opera too? I thought no Liyue folks would be coming in today."
"Honestly, I know we've been blocking the teahouse owner's business. I even told him not to mind us."
"But prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain—no matter how hard I try to show goodwill, the owner still insisted on turning everyone away."
"Strictly speaking, we should've known better and left."
"But having traveled so far and admired Master Yun Jin's opera for so long, I really couldn't give up this chance, so I shamelessly stayed."
"I was planning that if no one came before the performance started, I'd just pay to reserve the place. But it seems Liyue still has true heroes!"
"Hahaha—friend, how about I treat you to a cup of tea?"
Tartaglia spoke with bold enthusiasm.
Hearing this long explanation, Bai Ge raised an eyebrow in surprise.
As expected of Childe.
With a few deft words, he neatly washed the Fatui clean of blame, subtly flattered Bai Ge, and ended by proposing friendship.
If an ordinary Liyue citizen had encountered this—even if they came in looking for trouble—they would've been completely disarmed.
As for Bai Ge…
Well, pretty much the same. And he wasn't here to cause trouble anyway.
"Of course. Then I'll gladly accept."
"May I have the Tea Doctor's specially treasured premium blend?"
As he spoke, Bai Ge took a seat in the front row to the side, in the same row as Childe and Signora.
"Of course! That's no problem at all. I can afford that much," Tartaglia laughed.
He gestured to the Anemo Boxer, instructing him to have the Tea Doctor serve the tea.
Soon, a bowl of fragrant tea was placed before Bai Ge.
"Mm, excellent tea," Bai Ge praised as he drank, using the moment to quickly size up Childe and Signora face-to-face.
Childe, Tartaglia, looked no different from how he appeared in the story.
As for Signora…
Cough.
This teacup is really big. The tea is… very white.
Her posture—legs crossed, gloved hand propping up her head, snow-white hair cascading down like a waterfall, long elegant legs crossed with seductive arrogance—
Alluring and aloof at once.
No wonder people joked about wanting to be Signora's dog.
That dangerously unrestrained aura—most people truly couldn't handle it.
Recalling Signora's past, Bai Ge couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
A girl crushed by grief after her lover's death.
She should've had a better future. Those beautiful memories should've become fuel to move forward.
Sadly… she'd walked into a dead end.
And so—
Thinking of the regret he'd felt watching her story in his previous life, Bai Ge suddenly had an idea.
He took another sip of tea, then looked up.
"As the saying goes, courtesy demands reciprocity. Since you treated me to tea, I'll return the favor with some wine."
"Boss Fan—bring up some Dandelion Wine!"
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