It was nearly noon.
Ganyu stepped into Wanmin Restaurant.
As she passed by, the aroma of food had drawn her in. Combined with the fact that she was already a little hungry, after some internal struggle, she decided to eat first and deal with work later.
Ganyu kept her head low and automatically made her way to the most secluded corner.
After ordering, since it was midday, Chef Mao was also helping out in the kitchen, making the service noticeably faster.
Soon, Ganyu was served a bowl of Universal Peace.
She rarely visited Wanmin Restaurant, but it seemed Xiangling had remembered her dietary habits.
"Oh, it's you!"
Xiangling, who was busy carrying out dishes, had stepped outside for a breather when she spotted Ganyu.
Xiangling remembered her well—Ganyu only ate vegetarian dishes and didn't visit often, but every time she did, she sat alone in a corner, quietly eating without a word.
Xiangling always felt a little sorry for her, thinking she looked lonely, so she would heap extra servings onto her plate. What surprised Xiangling was that Ganyu always finished everything!
"Ah… yes."
Ganyu responded softly.
The reason she rarely came to Wanmin Restaurant was precisely because of this cheerful girl—Xiangling always gave her extra food…
It made it so hard for her to control herself. She had promised herself before entering not to eat too much…
"Take your time, okay?"
Xiangling smiled brightly, adding another generous portion without hesitation before turning back to the kitchen.
Ganyu stared at the mountain of food on her plate, on the verge of tears, but there was nothing she could do.
Sitting alone in the corner, as if afraid of being noticed, she did her best to make herself invisible, quietly eating.
"So, you don't actually have any experience raising exotic pets?"
"Uh… maybe a little?"
"Oh, come on! You've been talking nonsense this whole time—I almost believed you!"
Had the neighboring table started arguing?
Ganyu glanced up slightly.
A young man in white was holding a black rectangular object, looking at something while tapping on it repeatedly.
A green-cloaked figure with a youthful build sat with his back to her, teasing a red frog on the table with a fishbone.
Meanwhile, the orange-haired young man looked exasperated as he said, "Stop giving bad advice. What if you ruin my Scarlet Frog?"
"It's a fourth-tier magical beast—how could you possibly ruin it?"
The green-cloaked boy chuckled. "Seriously, you should consider it. Magic crystal chunks contain energy and minerals—what do you think?"
"Hey, froggy, do you wanna try?"
"Ribbit!"
The frog shook its head.
It was intelligent?
A fourth-tier magical beast?
Ganyu froze for a moment.
She quickly snapped out of it, glancing at the small mountain of food in front of her. After some hesitation, she decided to finish eating first before asking.
Lu Heng put down his phone after sending a message. When he glanced at Venti, his peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar outfit.
Lu Heng was slightly surprised.
He had actually run into Ganyu at Wanmin Restaurant?
What a coincidence. From what he knew, Ganyu rarely visited Wanmin Restaurant—she seemed to prefer lighter meals.
Feeling his gaze, Ganyu, who had been eating silently, looked up.
Their eyes met.
She immediately lowered her head again, continuing to eat quietly.
But her face gradually turned red.
"What are you looking at, Mr. Lu?"
Tartaglia followed Lu Heng's line of sight and gasped, lowering his voice. "Is Liyue just blessed with extraordinary people? This girl looks so delicate, but… she eats that much?"
As a half-adeptus, Ganyu's hearing was incredibly sharp.
Her face nearly buried itself in her bowl.
I want to disappear…!
Venti glanced back and nearly choked.
He actually recognized her!
"Eating a lot… just means she's healthy."
Ganyu's ears, already red, now looked like they were about to bleed.
Back during the Archons' gatherings, many of the arrangements had been handled by Ganyu.
However, Ganyu didn't recognize Venti in this form.
Lu Heng whispered, "I think we should stop talking about this—it's a bit rude."
This wasn't just gossiping behind someone's back—it was practically talking about her right in front of her while assuming she couldn't hear!
Ganyu had always been the shy type, and that hadn't changed in thousands of years. If they kept this up, they might end up traumatizing her.
"Oh, right."
Tartaglia was a martial artist with a sense of honor. He had only been surprised and didn't mean any harm, so he quickly changed the subject. "But Froggy's potential is undeniable, right?"
"Absolutely." Lu Heng nodded.
"No question about it." Venti agreed.
By the time this Scarlet Frog reached adulthood, its combat power would definitely surpass that of an average god.
Seeing that the attention was no longer on her, Ganyu quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She ate faster, wanting to finish quickly and escape this place.
The only thing she was grateful for was that most people outside the government didn't recognize her.
She hurriedly finished her meal and was about to leave when she overheard their conversation again.
"So my plan is pretty simple, Mr. Lu. Once you open a branch store in Liyue, I'll head straight to the Fatui's bank to withdraw funds!" Tartaglia said excitedly. "What cards I get is secondary—first, I'm feeding Froggy to the fifth tier!"
"A wise decision." Lu Heng nodded in approval.
Lu… opening a branch… card draws?
Combining these clues, Ganyu was 90% sure of their identities.
After a moment of hesitation, her sense of duty kicked in.
Summoning her courage, she spoke up:
"Excuse me… Are you Mr. Lu Heng from the card shop? And… uh… Venti?"
Ganyu's voice was soft and gentle.
Lu Heng nodded. "That's me."
It really is him!
Ganyu immediately forgot about her earlier embarrassment. She quickly asked, "Mr. Lu, I apologize for eavesdropping, but I heard you're planning to open a branch store in Liyue?"
"It's under consideration."
Under consideration?
That meant there was a real possibility!
Traveling all the way to Fontaine just to draw cards was too much of a hassle.
If a branch store opened in Liyue Harbor… it would be far more convenient and allow Liyue's merchants to gather more information!
"Do you have any concerns about it?"
Ganyu introduced herself. "I'm Ganyu, secretary to the Qixing. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask!"
"Secretary to the Qixing, Ganyu?"
Tartaglia blinked in surprise. He had read reports about her but hadn't recognized her at first glance.
"Not many concerns. I'm just thinking about where would be the best location." Lu Heng smiled.
"I see…"
So he was considering the best spot?
Ganyu wasn't sure what Lu Heng's exact plans were.
But Liyue had to secure him with the best resources—otherwise, they'd be the ones missing out!
Taking a deep breath, Ganyu said, "I know Liyue very well. If you'd like, I can accompany you to scout locations?"
"Mr. Lu still has about half an hour before he leaves." Tartaglia added.
"That's fine. I'll go report some work first, and then we can meet back here!"
Even if it took a whole day, Ganyu was willing to wait.
Lu Heng thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright."
Ganyu let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Then I'll take my leave for now. I'll be back soon!"
"No rush. Even if it takes a while, we have enough time in the afternoon."
"Your matters are more important than mine."
Ganyu didn't say more.
She knew Lu Heng was just being polite—they weren't familiar yet, so she had to act quickly.
First, she needed to inform Ningguang and ensure everything was arranged properly before returning to accompany Lu Heng.
If not for needing to notify Ningguang, Ganyu wouldn't have left at all—she would have just followed Lu Heng directly.
"Alright." Lu Heng didn't press further.
Ganyu didn't even bother with proper decorum—she hurried out the door.
"Now that's dedication." Venti remarked.
Tartaglia nodded in agreement. "No wonder Liyue is so strong."
"Customers, your Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup is ready!"
"Thanks."
Lu Heng stood up to take it, then said, "I've already paid. You two keep eating—I'll be back later."
With that, Lu Heng took a step forward, as if entering a space separate from reality.
In an instant, he vanished without a trace.
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T/N:
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