The fragrance of clear tea curled in the air.
Zhongli sat by the window, looking out at the myriad lights of Liyue Harbor. He was in no hurry to flip through the pages, but instead took a slow, deliberate sip of tea before finally letting his gaze fall upon the book.
Opening the first page, he saw the [Character Profiles].
His gaze lingered for a moment on phrases like "Alan—Possessive and Controlling" and "A-He—red string Soul-Locking," and his eyes darkened slightly.
As the pages turned one by one, the first meeting at the Jade Chamber, standing side-by-side in the bamboo forest maze, the testing through maple leaves, the ambiguous words amidst the tea fragrance, the self-sacrificing protection and close contact during the mine crisis... until the mutual confession of feelings and the light kiss on the forehead under the Lantern Rite Festival, all unfolded before his eyes.
His reading speed was neither fast nor slow, like savoring a pot of aged wine. Only on his usually rock-steady face, a subtle, barely perceptible change would occasionally flash.
When he saw Alan approaching A-He under the pretext of a "lucky day," his fingertip lightly tapped the tabletop. Reading about the mine, where Alan calculated the angle to "sacrifice himself to protect her," pulling A-He into his embrace, he picked up his teacup and gently blew on non-existent foam.
And when he saw the "detailed descriptions" of "bathing in the hot spring together" and "sharing a bed" that Hu Tao had specifically emphasized... his movement of turning the page paused imperceptibly. His gaze lingered on those few lines of text for a slightly longer time. Then, he calmly looked around to confirm that he was indeed alone in the private booth before continuing to read, though the frequency with which he picked up his teacup seemed a bit higher than usual.
The book's portrayal of Alan's step-by-step "scheming" and "layout," and the delicate depiction of A-He's transition from cold detachment to gradual heartbeat, was indeed as Hu Tao had said—the writing was seasoned, and the emotions built up layer by layer.
When he reached the end and read A-He's silent thought, "The Alan who once only laid layouts for missions had set a love trap for her, and she was willing to drown in it," Zhongli slowly closed the book.
The private booth was silent, with only the tea fragrance lingering.
He did not get up immediately, but leaned back against the chair, casting his gaze toward the vast night sky outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long time, he lightly stroked the book cover, and his deep voice rang out in the quiet booth.
"Based on universal logic..."
"This trap was indeed exquisitely laid."
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Amidst Mt. Aocang, clouds and mist swirled, and the Adeptus abode was as quiet and secluded as ever.
Only today, there was a visitor.
Cloud Retainer was preening her celestial feathers by the stone table. Hearing footsteps, she didn't even look up, but her preening movement paused slightly.
"A rare guest. Why do you have the leisure today to come to my secluded abode?"
Zhongli approached slowly with his usual composure, the not-so-thick book in his hand particularly eye-catching.
"I happened upon a leisure book. Seeing that the characters within seem to have some connection with old friends, I came specifically to chat." He sat down by the stone table and placed the book lightly on the surface.
Only then did Cloud Retainer look up, her gaze sweeping over the cover—"for whom the love trap is set," author Hanabi.
She snorted, "Mortal novels are mostly imaginary fabrications. What is there worth seeing?"
"You might as well take a look, True Lord. The book mentions an Adeptus disciple named A-He, who studied under 'True Lord Who Is Good at Chatting'." Zhongli's tone was peaceful as his fingertip lightly tapped the book cover. "Her appearance and demeanor, the red string of fate, and even the master's title bear a striking resemblance to the one under your tutelage."
"Hmm?" Cloud Retainer's wings vibrated slightly, and a gust of clear wind picked up the novel, suspending it before her. The pages flipped automatically with a rustle. She was initially indifferent, but as she read on, the surrounding airflow seemed to stagnate a bit.
"...Lost in the deep mountains as a child, red string locking the soul, indifferent nature, master's instruction 'entering the world is also cultivation'..." she whispered the fragments, naturally discovering the issues within, her tone gradually sinking. "This... how does a mortal author know such details?"
Although there was some artistic exaggeration, the A-He in the text was shockingly consistent with the situation of her disciple.
Zhongli nodded, "It seems it is indeed not entirely groundless."
Originally, Cloud Retainer had maintained her composure, but when she saw the line "adopted by the Adeptus 'True Lord Who Is Good at Chatting'," she finally blew her top.
"Nonsense!" Cloud Retainer's feathers seemed to puff out, her voice carrying an unbelievable tremor. "This is a total insult to the Adeptus' reputation! Who is so bold?! Although this immortal is indeed skilled in rhetoric, when did I become 'True Lord Who Is Good at Chatting'?! This... this, this, this... what kind of decorum is this!!"
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