Chapter 14

In the instant she bent down — though it lasted only one or two breaths — it was more than enough for her to take in everything.

And the scene that met her eyes was absolutely insane.

Lu Lin had one hand between Hu Tao's legs, another hand between Ganyu's legs, and even one foot between Lady Ningguang's legs.

In that moment, Xiangling felt that even the most complicated recipe she knew was no match for the tangle of four people beneath that table.

Who could have imagined that four people who looked perfectly composed and at ease on the surface were playing such games underneath?

Hadn't Lu Lin only just met them not long ago?

So am I the only outsider here?

Though Lu Lin really is quite handsome, and he's so gentle too...

All sorts of strange thoughts bubbled up in Xiangling's head — she didn't even know what she was thinking, or what she was supposed to do right now.

Right. Her chopsticks had fallen. She needed new ones.

But should she even go back to the private room?

The young chef hesitated, frozen in place. She had never encountered a situation like this before. She felt both embarrassed and intensely curious, as though a little cat were pawing endlessly at her heart — ticklish and restless.

She had to go back, of course. After all, she was the one who had invited them to dinner today. She couldn't just leave her guests unattended.

Having talked herself into it with that reasoning, Xiangling fetched a clean pair of chopsticks and crept back toward the private room with a fluttering heart.

Inside, Hu Tao and Ganyu were leaning back in their chairs, breathing softly, both looking a little dazed and flushed.

Lu Lin's hands were damp. It was Ganyu who thoughtfully handed him a handkerchief to wipe them clean. A faint, lingering scent drifted through the entire room.

Ningguang said nothing, silently stuffing fruit into her mouth — strawberries, the very ones she had just claimed she didn't like — because she truly had no idea what to say.

She had known the others were up to something under the table. She had assumed it was nothing more than what had happened to her — Lu Lin brushing against her thigh, a bit of hand-holding, maybe some light touching. That sort of thing.

But she had never imagined the three of them would go this far, doing something like that right in front of everyone...

Why on earth had it come to this?

What kind of hold did this man have over Hu Tao and Ganyu, to make them so utterly devoted to him?

Ningguang could see it clearly — despite the enormous embarrassment the two girls had just suffered, they showed nothing but shyness. Not a trace of blame directed at Lu Lin.

Was their bond with him really that deep?

Was this truly the same semi-divine being who had watched over Liyue for three thousand seven hundred years?

Was this truly the same strong young woman who had shouldered the full weight of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at such a young age?

Question after question surfaced in Ningguang's mind, and she could find no answers to any of them.

With things already as they were, Lu Lin — shameless as ever — withdrew his foot from where Ningguang had trapped it. Before pulling it back, he deliberately gave her thigh one firm, lingering rub.

He then used Ganyu's handkerchief to give both girls a quick cleanup, and after drying them off, helped straighten their clothes.

"It's all your fault — you made us both lose so much face~" When Lu Lin was tidying Ganyu up, she leaned softly against his chest, her voice somewhere between a complaint and a pout.

"It's fine, don't worry. I'll go explain things to Xiangling in a bit. We're all in a free relationship — they're all girls, so it's really not a big deal. Lady Ningguang is a woman of the world; I'm sure she won't take this to heart, right?"

Do I look like someone who isn't taking this to heart?

Ningguang cursed inwardly, but kept her expression perfectly composed. "It's a good thing that Ganyu and Hu Tao have found someone they truly care for. I only hope you won't let down such wonderful girls."

Given Ganyu's unique identity and her contributions to Liyue, Ningguang couldn't afford to embarrass her — she had no choice but to go along with it. Still, she couldn't resist slipping in a quiet jab at Lu Lin.

Lu Lin acted as though he hadn't caught the subtle dig, and pinched Ganyu's cheek lightly. "See? Everything's fine."

Ganyu let out a helpless sigh and resigned herself to reality — though, in truth, she did feel considerably better.

This moment revealed a notable difference in temperament between Hu Tao and Ganyu. Though Hu Tao was equally flustered, she bounced back quickly. After all, aside from Lu Lin, everyone present was a girl — so it was fine!

By the time Xiangling returned, the private room had settled back to normal. Only the faint lingering scent had yet to fully dissipate. Xiangling was a chef, and her sense of smell was exceptionally sharp — she instinctively sniffed the air.

The gesture was rather adorable, but given the circumstances, it was a little... she realized it herself immediately, and her face flushed crimson.

Ganyu's complexion had nearly returned to normal, but when she saw Xiangling's reaction, a rosy blush crept back across her cheeks. She turned and shot Lu Lin a light glare.

Lu Lin stood up and opened the window to let the smell slowly drift away. Everyone fell into silence and continued eating.

Under the awkward atmosphere, no one had much of an appetite — fortunately, they had already eaten most of the meal, so Xiangling's efforts weren't entirely wasted.

It was then that Hu Tao stepped up. Even in the midst of the lingering awkwardness, Hu Tao's [Silver Tongue] entry proved its worth once again, single-handedly pulling the mood back up from the floor.

True to form for a dark comedic street-corner poet, her talent for livening up the atmosphere was something else entirely — that entry had truly gone to the right person.

Despite the bumps along the way, everyone ended up having a genuinely good time at dinner.

After the meal, Ganyu and Hu Tao left Wanmin Restaurant first, each heading home.

Both of them had been put through the wringer today, and the antics during dinner had only added to their exhaustion. So the two girls decided to teach him a lesson — they would each go home tonight and not visit him in the Serenitea Pot.

Meanwhile, Lu Lin pulled Xiangling aside for a quiet word, mainly to ask her not to mention what she had seen.

"Mr. Lu, are you saying that Hu Tao and Ganyu don't know about you and Lady Ningguang?" Xiangling was stunned once again.

"Mm~ They don't know for now, but I'll tell them when the right moment comes."

"I... I'll keep your secret, Mr. Lu!"

Xiangling lowered her head, face red. She couldn't quite explain why — Lu Lin's behavior was objectively quite bad, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust toward him.

"Thank you! And you don't have to be so formal — no need to call me Mr. Lu. Just call me Lu Lin from now on. After all, we share a secret now!"

"Okay, then... then I'll call you Big Brother Lu Lin."

"Works for me! I'll be off then, Little Sister Xiangling~" Lu Lin laughed brightly, said his goodbyes, and walked out of Wanmin Restaurant.

Outside the door, Ningguang stood gracefully, waiting for him in silence.

With no one else around, Ningguang had no intention of giving him a pleasant expression. She fixed him with a cold look and said, "Follow me."

The two left Chihu Rock without a word, walking in silence westward until they had crossed the bridge and entered the area of Mt. Tianheng. Only then did Ningguang stop.

She turned around — and the moment she saw what Lu Lin was doing, her pupils contracted sharply.

He was tossing an orb of ice in one hand, while a small flame danced at the tip of the other, flickering in the breeze. He looked like a street juggler.

Of course, he wasn't juggling on a whim.

Ningguang knew what she was looking at. That was Cryo and Pyro Elemental Power.

She had walked ahead of him for so long without sensing a single ripple of elemental energy — which meant Lu Lin's control over his Elemental Power was already remarkably refined.

He was demonstrating his strength.

Lu Lin did indeed need to make a show of it. After all, Ningguang held a Vision and was no ordinary opponent. What if she lost her temper and tried to take what she wanted by force? Better to display his capabilities in advance, let her know that brute force wasn't an option, and snuff out that possibility before it could ignite.

Ningguang had, in fact, entertained the thought of a forceful resolution — but seeing what was in front of her, she let that idea go.

Possessing both Cryo and Pyro Elemental Power simultaneously was already extraordinarily rare. And he didn't even have a Vision.

This man held far too many secrets. Trying to take anything from him by force would be a losing gamble.

Ningguang exhaled slowly and asked in a cool tone, "Speak. What exactly do you want?"

"What do I want? I'm not sure I follow, Miss Ningguang."

"Don't play dumb with me. I want the photographs you took with your Kamera. What will it take for you to hand them over?" Ningguang's voice grew colder still.

"Don't be so upset — they're just a few photographs. Here, take them." Lu Lin handed them over without a second thought.

That easily?!

Ningguang took the photographs in surprise and glanced at them — then nearly exploded with rage. "These are scenic shots of the Jade Chamber! I want the ones you secretly took of me!"

What Lu Lin had given her were the landscape photos of the Jade Chamber he had shown Xiangling and the others earlier.

"Secretly took? I didn't secretly take anything. I'm not that kind of person. You need evidence before making accusations, Miss Ningguang — please don't slander me."

"You—!" Ningguang's fury blazed. She drew a deep breath and said icily, "It seems you have no interest in talking reasonably."

Seeing Ningguang on the verge of losing her composure, Lu Lin dismissed the elemental energy from his hands and stepped closer, his voice gentle. "It's not that I don't want to talk reasonably — it's that you need to tell me clearly what you actually need."

"You — you know perfectly well what I need!"

"I genuinely don't." Lu Lin spread his hands and continued playing dumb.

Of course he knew what Ningguang wanted. But he was deliberately feigning ignorance — he wanted to hear her say it out loud. He wanted her to ask him for it.

Get your bearings, lady. You're the one asking a favor here. Is this any way to ask for something?

Ningguang was sharp enough to grasp Lu Lin's intent in an instant. She bit her lip and stared him down.

She desperately wanted to strike him down right then and there — but she didn't dare.

Setting aside whether she could even win, he currently held leverage over her. If those photographs were to circulate, the damage to her reputation would be devastating.

It might even cost her her position among the Qixing.

She had fought her way up through every obstacle imaginable, enduring countless hardships to reach her seat among the Liyue Qixing. It was the life's work she had poured everything into. She would never allow something like that to happen.

Fine. She had already made up her mind before coming here — even if it meant letting Lu Lin get the upper hand, she had to get those photographs back.

It was just swallowing her pride for a moment.

She could endure it.

"I want... the photographs you took today. Of me." She bit her lip hard, her eyes flickering with humiliation — but beneath that, something far closer to fury.

"Which photographs of you, specifically?" Lu Lin pressed on, feigning ignorance.

"The ones showing the kiss marks you left on my chest!" Ningguang ground out the words through clenched teeth, one syllable at a time.

Ever since she had risen to her seat among the Qixing, she had been Liyue's grandest bloom — the very embodiment of cold, aristocratic elegance. And today, she had been forced to say something this humiliating to a man's face.

The sheer contrast sent a wave of satisfaction washing through Lu Lin.

"Oh — you mean these?" Lu Lin put on a look of sudden realization and produced another photograph, handing it to her.

In the image, snow-capped peaks soared in the background, red plum blossoms were in full bloom, and two strawberries sat side by side — perfectly symmetrical, one on each side — framed against Ningguang's breathtakingly beautiful face. From a purely compositional standpoint, it was a flawless shot.

Ningguang took the photograph, glanced at it — and her face went scarlet, eyes blazing as though they might shoot sparks.

She snatched it up and tucked it away, then said coldly, "Tell me. What will it take for you to hand over all the photographs and the negatives?"

Lu Lin smiled, but didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he asked, "I'm curious — when we met at the Jade Chamber this morning, your attitude toward me was fairly normal at first. Why did you suddenly start disliking me?"

"Shouldn't I dislike you? You're a scoundrel. A two-timer. Stringing along multiple girls at once — I don't just dislike you, I'd love to kill you!" Ningguang abandoned all pretense of composure and let her fury pour out.

"Hold on, hold on — that's no way to ask someone for a favor!" Lu Lin cut her off.

He had a rough idea now. This morning, Ningguang must have noticed from the details in the report that he had kissed both Ganyu and Hu Tao, and concluded he was a two-timer — which had sparked her intense revulsion.

And that had triggered the System quest, which was why he had put her through all of this.

What a strange twist of fate.

"It's not that I won't give you the photographs and negatives — just agree to one condition."

"What condition?" Ningguang drew a slow breath, knowing this was the critical moment.

She was certain Lu Lin would make outrageous demands and use this opportunity to extract something unreasonable. She had braced herself for a heavy price.

Of course, she had her limits. Money or valuables — fine, she had plenty of those. But if he made any other kind of improper demand, that was absolutely out of the question.

She would rather burn everything down and take him with her.

But given how this scoundrel operated, how could he possibly not make an improper demand?

Ningguang's thoughts were a tangled mess. If Lu Lin really did make such a demand, what would she do?

"Before I tell you my condition, come with me somewhere first. Take my hand." Lu Lin extended his hand.

"Where are we going?" Ningguang asked warily.

"Don't worry. I won't do anything to you." Lu Lin's smile was gentle — though to Ningguang, it looked utterly infuriating. She didn't believe a word he said.

But she had no choice. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out and placed her hand in his.