Chapter 13

"Hu Tao, Lu Lin, we're here! Miss Ningguang also wanted to check in on Xiangling and Hu Tao, so I brought her along — you don't mind, do you?" Ganyu waved to the two of them.

"Of course not! Getting a dinner reservation with Tianquan Star Lady Ningguang is notoriously difficult — I hear it costs a fortune in Mora just for the chance."

"Ha, those are business dinners. Tonight is a small gathering among friends — quite a different matter." Ningguang replied with easy grace, her gaze barely drifting in Lu Lin's direction.

Even so, Lu Lin did not let his guard down for a moment.

He knew perfectly well that Ningguang had come because of him.

Otherwise, as one of the Liyue Qixing, with so many affairs to manage every day, why would she have the time to travel all the way from Yujing Terrace to Wanmin Restaurant for a meal?

She claimed it was to check in on everyone, but aside from Ganyu, she had no particularly close relationship with anyone else here.

Just then, Xiangling began bringing out the dishes.

"Food's coming~!" Xiangling, Master Mao, and Guoba carried out one delicious dish after another.

Fragrant Pepper Chicken, Braised Meatballs in Brown Sauce, Fullmoon Egg, and Guoba's Crispy Rice — each one a standout dish.

Knowing that Ganyu was a committed vegetarian, Xiangling had also prepared several vegetable dishes — Four Winds Salad, Almond Tofu, and Chilled Mint — along with a fresh fruit platter.

Once all the dishes were on the table, everyone took their seats.

Ganyu sat to Lu Lin's right, Hu Tao naturally took the seat to his left, Xiangling sat to Hu Tao's left, and Ningguang sat to Ganyu's right.

Since it was just the few of them, they had chosen a private room with a smaller table so everyone could sit close together.

Xingqiu had been invited as well, but the Feiyun Commerce Guild had urgent business that required his attention, so he couldn't make it today.

Wanmin Restaurant was also very busy. Master Mao came up just long enough to say hello and express his gratitude before heading back to the kitchen with Guoba.

"Come on, everyone raise your glasses! Thank you all for risking your lives to rescue me — without you, I'd never have made it back. Tonight, eat and drink to your heart's content, and if we run out of food, I'll order more!"

Since everyone present was an adult, the drinks were low-alcohol fruit wine. Xiangling was the first to raise her cup.

"Xiangling, you're too kind — friends help each other, that's only natural!" Hu Tao downed her cup in one go and dug into the food with gusto, thoroughly uninhibited.

Ganyu's manner of eating was far more refined. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a small portion of the chilled mint, and chewed it slowly and deliberately. Only after swallowing did she ask, "By the way, Xiangling, how are you recovering? Has all the black miasma been purged from your body?"

"It's all gone. Strangely enough, I had been quite heavily corroded by the black miasma, but by the time you all rescued me, there was already much less of it inside me — otherwise there's no way I could have recovered so quickly."

Xiangling said it without thinking much of it, but Ganyu, Hu Tao, and Ningguang all caught the significance of her words.

Everyone at the table except Xiangling knew exactly how Lu Lin had driven out the black miasma, and they all turned to look at him at the same moment.

Ganyu and Hu Tao already knew Lu Lin was full of remarkable surprises. As for Ningguang, she had inexplicably ended up with a strawberry mark on her neck and still had no idea how he had managed it.

All three were now virtually certain that this man had used some method to kiss Xiangling while rescuing her, which was why she had recovered so quickly.

With three beautiful women staring at him simultaneously, Lu Lin didn't flinch in the slightest. He kept a perfectly straight face and spun a plausible-sounding explanation: "Perhaps it's because once those two dark spheres were destroyed, the black miasma inside you lost its source and faded on its own."

It sounded almost reasonable — but only Xiangling actually believed it.

The group chatted and ate. Ningguang spoke the least; she was quietly observing Lu Lin's expressions and reactions, building a clearer picture of who this person really was.

"Mmm~ this fruit platter is delicious, everything is so fresh!" Lu Lin popped a large, bright-red strawberry into his mouth and sighed with appreciation.

"But of course — Wanmin Restaurant only uses the finest, freshest ingredients." Xiangling puffed up her chest proudly, though she and Hu Tao were both Pyro sub-carries.

"Here, Lady Ningguang, try a couple of strawberries — they really are wonderful!" Lu Lin pushed the fruit platter toward Ningguang with a cheerful, slightly impish smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu, but I'm not particularly fond of strawberries." Ningguang declined with cool composure, though a barely perceptible edge of anger ran beneath her words.

In Teyvat, a strawberry mark was just as much a metaphor for a love bite as anywhere else. She understood perfectly well that Lu Lin was openly teasing her!

This bastard was definitely doing it on purpose! He was provoking her again!

"What a shame!" Lu Lin put on an expression of exaggerated regret.

Still, he knew better than to push too far. Ningguang had risen to her position among the Qixing at a remarkably young age — she was not someone to be trifled with. If he truly drove her to the breaking point, the fallout would be unpleasant for him as well.

Lu Lin continued helping himself to strawberries, when suddenly he felt an unusual silky sensation against his left leg. A mischievous jade foot brushed against his calf, and nimble toes wriggled their way up into his trouser leg.

He had changed into casual clothes when he came out, and his trousers were of the looser variety. The foot was wrapped in smooth white socks, pressing warmly against his calf in intimate contact, delivering an exquisite silky sensation.

Without even looking, Lu Lin knew it was the impish Hu Tao up to her tricks again.

He was not about to be outdone. His right hand continued eating fruit without missing a beat, while his left hand quietly slipped beneath the table and found its way onto Hu Tao's thigh.

Hu Tao's thighs were pleasantly full, and years of martial training had left her skin firm and supple. The edge of her shorts pressed a faint line into her thigh, and the sensation beneath his palm was absolutely electric.

Lu Lin's fingers alternated between light strokes and gentle kneading. Before long, Hu Tao was struggling to hold herself together — her calves went rigid, and her foot rubbed restlessly against his calf.

Ganyu and Xiangling were chatting and eating, initially oblivious to the two of them. But as Hu Tao grew increasingly flustered — to the point where a faint warmth had begun to gather — Ganyu noticed.

The sensation of Hu Tao's pleasure and delight was transmitted to Ganyu through [Telepathy]. How could she not know that those two were up to something again?

As the feelings Hu Tao was sending grew more and more vivid, Ganyu's slender legs pressed together involuntarily, rubbing softly against each other.

Ningguang also noticed something was off.

Her powers of observation were exceptional to begin with, and she had been deliberately watching Lu Lin the entire time. His movements with Hu Tao were difficult to hide from her.

This bastard! This scoundrel!

Ningguang cursed him inwardly over and over — and then, to her dismay, Lu Lin suddenly turned his attention toward her.

There was one seat between them — Ganyu — but because it was a small round table, she was essentially sitting almost directly across from him. She had chosen this spot deliberately so she could observe him more easily.

Who could have guessed that this very position would make things easier for him as well?

While Ningguang was still silently fuming, she suddenly felt a light pressure on one of her feet.

The man she had been mentally calling a bastard and a scoundrel had quietly slipped off his right shoe, and his foot had unerringly found hers beneath the table, coming to rest on the back of her foot.

Caught completely off guard, Ningguang's head snapped up. She fixed him with a piercing stare, her eyes brimming with barely contained fury.

Xiangling was talking with Hu Tao, Ganyu's attention was scattered by the sensations continuously flowing in through [Telepathy], and neither of the other two noticed her reaction.

Meanwhile, the instigator himself — Lu Lin — was chatting with Xiangling as though nothing were happening: "I think the finest view in all of Liyue Harbor has to be from the Jade Chamber — it truly has the grandeur of looking down upon all the mountains below!"

Xiangling and Hu Tao had been discussing which spots in Liyue they hadn't visited yet.

"Mr. Lu has already been to the Jade Chamber? I've never been up there — it must be amazing from that height~" Xiangling said, her eyes full of longing.

The owner of the Jade Chamber was sitting right there. She was not a petty person, and hearing this, she smiled and said, "Xiangling is welcome to visit. However, the Rite of the Descension is coming up soon, and the Jade Chamber will be quite busy these next few days — it's not a convenient time for guests.

After the ceremony, Xiangling and Hu Tao are more than welcome to come and have a look around. I would be delighted to have you."

"Really? Then I won't hold back!" Both Xiangling and Hu Tao were thrilled by Ningguang's invitation.

Meanwhile, Ningguang was working hard to suppress her fury, reminding herself not to act rashly.

This bastard Lu Lin was actually getting bolder — sliding his foot up along her calf?!

Her long, shapely legs were sheathed in flesh-toned stockings embroidered with cloud patterns, which paired with her skirt to project an air of elegant refinement — but elegant refinement was no barrier against Lu Lin's shameless advances.

Her left hand slipped quietly beneath the table and gave his calf a vicious pinch.

Lu Lin flinched slightly from the sudden pain, then immediately composed himself and continued discussing the Jade Chamber with Xiangling as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, by the way — after we got back from the Guili Plains, Ganyu and I bought something fun in Liyue Harbor. It's called a Kamera. It's a remarkable device from Fontaine that can capture a scene in perfect detail. Have you heard of it?" Lu Lin asked, his tone seemingly casual.

"This Director has heard Zhongli mention the Kamera before — he said it was a remarkable invention. But this Director has been wanting to buy one and never managed to get hold of one. Is it really that amazing?" Hu Tao, ever curious about novelties, leaned in with interest.

"Absolutely — didn't we just say the view from the Jade Chamber is unrivaled? I captured it all with the Kamera!" Lu Lin produced several photographs and passed them to Xiangling and Hu Tao.

Fontaine's Kamera technology was already highly advanced — comparable in quality to the high-definition cameras of Lu Lin's original world. The landscape photographs were beautifully composed, drawing exclamations of amazement from both Xiangling and Hu Tao.

On the other side of the table, the moment Lu Lin mentioned he had brought a Kamera to the Jade Chamber, Ningguang's expression darkened considerably.

As one of Liyue's foremost merchants, she was certainly no stranger to the Kamera. She even owned a special edition model from Fontaine herself.

She knew very well just how powerful a Kamera's capabilities were — it captured everything with perfect fidelity, missing not a single detail.

Which raised an uncomfortable question: had Lu Lin, that scoundrel, really only taken pictures of the scenery when he visited the Jade Chamber?

Given that she already knew this man had taken liberties with her, Ningguang was one hundred percent certain he had taken other photographs as well.

And by bringing up the Kamera now, he was making a veiled threat.

Sure enough, beneath the table, Lu Lin's foot grew bolder, sliding back and forth along Ningguang's silk-stockinged calf, ignoring her fierce pinches.

"Lady Ningguang is so worldly and well-informed — have you ever used a Kamera yourself?" Lu Lin turned to her with a grin, a faint glint of threat in his eyes.

Ningguang understood his meaning. Reluctantly, she withdrew the hand that had been pinching him, and said through gritted teeth, "A few times. It really is quite fascinating."

"Oh~ I'm still not very skilled with the Kamera — I have quite a few questions. Perhaps I could ask Lady Ningguang for guidance sometime."

The atmosphere between the two of them had grown distinctly charged. Even with Ningguang's considerable composure, after so many provocations and veiled threats from Lu Lin, she was on the verge of losing it entirely.

But she didn't dare. She was now certain that Lu Lin had compromising photographs of her, and until she recovered them, she could not afford to act rashly.

Yet bone-deep resentment is not so easily swallowed, and her voice grew progressively colder as she spoke.

The others noticed nothing amiss.

Hu Tao appeared to be engaged in earnest conversation with Xiangling, but beneath the table she was already a complete mess.

Lu Lin's hand had already undone the clasp below, and his nimble fingers moved downward, finding a certain critical point and giving it a gentle squeeze...

The incomparable sensation nearly shattered Hu Tao's composure entirely. Fortunately, the Xiangling she was talking to was sweet and innocent, oblivious to such things, and her attention was on the photographs — so she noticed nothing.

With Hu Tao on the verge of giving herself away, Ganyu was faring no better. The two of them were connected heart-to-heart, experiencing everything identically.

Wave after wave of sensation shattered Ganyu's concentration. She had even quietly slipped one of her own hands beneath... completely failing to notice that the atmosphere between Lu Lin and Ningguang beside her had become extremely tense.

"I'm quite busy these next couple of days, but as it happens I have a bit of time this evening. If Mr. Lu wishes to ask for guidance, why not tonight?" Ningguang bit her lip, as though she had made up her mind about something.

On the surface it was about asking for guidance on using the Kamera — in reality, both of them wanted a chance to speak privately.

Receiving the signal that Ningguang was willing to negotiate, Lu Lin felt a quiet wave of relief.

For all his brazen behavior, he had genuinely been a little uncertain on the inside, worried that he might push Ningguang too far and force her into a desperate confrontation.

As it turned out, Ningguang had earned her place among the Qixing at such a young age for good reason. Her capacity for restraint was truly extraordinary.

The two of them had arranged to meet that evening, though the two young women beside them had barely registered the exchange.

Lu Lin was managing several things at once: his hand beneath the table was quietly tormenting Hu Tao, his foot had worked its way between Ningguang's thighs, and he was still verbally sparring with Ningguang — all while keeping up a perfectly normal appearance.

That Ningguang had agreed to meet him alone this evening under these circumstances had undoubtedly emboldened him further. His foot pressed along her full thighs, rubbing back and forth, seeking to explore further.

Ningguang finally could not endure his relentless advance. Her full thighs clamped together with force, trapping his offending foot and holding it firmly in place.

Lu Lin didn't dare apply too much pressure for fear of drawing attention, so he simply relaxed and let his foot rest there between her thighs — which was actually quite comfortable.

Unable to make further progress with Ningguang, he turned his full attention back to Hu Tao, where he could do as he pleased. His fingers moved faster and faster. At the same time, his right hand — which had been resting on the table — slipped beneath it as well, quietly reaching toward Ganyu's side...

Ningguang had probably already figured out what was going on anyway. There was no point in pretending.

When his right hand found its way in, venturing into uncharted territory, he discovered that Ganyu had already lost patience and started exploring on her own...

The effect of the entry was truly decisive.

Hu Tao thought so too. Thanks to the boost from [Eloquent Tongue], even with her mind nearly overwhelmed by wave after wave of sensation, her thoughts remained clear, her conversation with Xiangling unfaltering, not a single crack showing.

Until — clatter.

Xiangling accidentally dropped her chopsticks on the floor. On instinct, she bent down to pick them up...

The incident happened so suddenly that all four of the others were caught off guard, and Xiangling had already bent down before any of them could react.

Oh no — things had gone too far!

"Lu Lin~" Ganyu finally lost control, a soft, trembling whimper escaping from between her lips.

Overwhelming shame sent both Hu Tao and Ganyu shuddering from head to toe, as though something in their minds had been swept away in a flood... while Lu Lin felt as though he were washing his hands in warm water...

Xiangling picked up her chopsticks and raised her head quickly, her voice slightly unsteady: "Um... uh, the chopsticks got dirty — I'll go get a new pair."

With that, she immediately stood up and left the private room, walking briskly as though something terrifying were chasing her.

It was too much. Far too much to process.