chsdbacks Page 9
Page 9
"Sorry, sister has had a bit too much to drink."
"Please send the salary."
Lisa's smile faltered, she sighed, and her expression turned somewhat mournful.
"How heartless! That was my sister's first kiss."
"Is it still settled weekly?"
"Good good."
Lisa went into the bedroom and came back with a small bag.
"Here is 50,000 Mora, which is a month's salary, plus an apology for what just happened."
Ignoring Lisa's ambiguous tone, which deliberately emphasized "that matter" and "apology," Lin Jiu'an accepted the money pouch without changing his expression, calculating in his mind that he would have enough money for the trip to Liyue by the end of the month.
The two acted as if nothing had happened, and Lisa personally escorted Lin Jiu'an to the library entrance.
No sooner had Lin Jiu'an left than the door to the solitary confinement cell opened.
Lisa looked at Qin as she walked out of the solitary confinement cell and said with a smile, "Was that you just outside my room?"
Qin was a little embarrassed, and nodded, saying, "I wanted to chat with you, and then I saw Keli peeking in from your doorway."
After a moment's hesitation, she asked, half curious and half nervous, "Who is that boy?"
"A good kid I've known for several years."
Qin breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.
If we've known each other for several years, then it definitely isn't Lin Jiu'an.
I couldn't help but find it a little funny.
That's true, how could Lisa be the kind of woman who would do those ambiguous things with a guy she'd only known for a day?
My unease just now was probably just a bit of disappointment knowing that my longtime friend had suddenly found a partner.
When will you introduce me to him/her?
Seeing Qin's expectant look, Lisa slightly curled the corners of her mouth.
"It won't be too far."
Saying goodbye to the zither.
Lisa returned to the bathroom and soaked in the hot water that Lin Jiu'an had personally prepared. Her face no longer showed any signs of drunkenness.
When did I start liking Lin Jiu'an?
It definitely wasn't at the beginning.
Although the boy was very much to her liking, she paid more attention to the cuter Ying.
My impression of Lin Jiu'an.
He's just a bit clumsy, but he likes playing the zither.
Qin also admired this talented and energetic young man.
As Qin's good friend, she, who loved watching the drama unfold, began to intentionally or unintentionally try to bring the two of them together.
This includes, but is not limited to, teasing the two of them, and using Lin Jiu'an's job to tell him Qin's hobbies and little secrets. Life went on like that, neither exciting nor boring, but very warm and cozy.
Lin Jiu'an's performance certainly did not disappoint her.
But therein lies the problem.
He did a fantastic job!
She's clearly a lazy person who hates trouble, eats whatever's available, and will absolutely not go anywhere more than three minutes away from her favorite food.
Knowing that Qin's favorite pizza was from "Cat's Tail" tavern, he would take more than an hour out of his busy schedule every day to go to "Cat's Tail" tavern and buy Qin a hot pizza, rain or shine.
She's afraid of the dark, hates mosquitoes, and doesn't like owing people anything.
But he would listen to Qin say that he wanted to go to Cape Oath, and borrow money from others just to buy a better camera.
I traveled a long way to Cape Oath just to pick the most beautiful Cecilia flower for her and to capture the most beautiful sunrise for her.
He is clearly a person who is easygoing and lazy whenever possible.
Yet he was willing to learn political affairs for Qin, willing to work day and night so that Qin could have an easier time, even confronting those people she hated and didn't want to think about, and even killing for her...
She still remembered how vulnerable he was when he killed someone for the first time, yet dared not confide in Qin and could only come to her, waking up in terror in the middle of the night but still trying to appear strong.
Watching Lin Jiu'an change little by little for the sake of the zither.
She didn't know when it started, but she began to be jealous of Qin.
I'm jealous that she did nothing wrong, was as cold as a piece of wood, yet managed to meet such a great guy.
And it seems that from that moment on, she also stepped into the abyss.
When Lin Jiu'an and Qin had a fight and almost became estranged, she felt happy rather than nervous about it.
Even after that.
She did not help the two of them as she had in the past.
Instead, they remained silent as if possessed.
She watched helplessly as the two drifted further and further apart, and as the situation spiraled out of control, all while remaining a bystander, witnessing the powder keg finally explode.
But when it came down to the final step, she lost her nerve.
"Now that you have a second chance, you haven't learned to cherish it."
"What you don't cherish, I will cherish for you."
Fortunately, fate gave her another chance, and this time she was the first to arrive.
This time, however, she wouldn't be as foolish as before, pushing Lin Jiu'an to Qin.
"I'm sorry, Qin."
Chapter Eleven: Lawrence, the Rotting City of Mondstadt
More than half a month later.
"Cat's Tail" Tavern.
late at night.
There was only one table of customers in the tavern.
"cheers!"
The glasses filled with liquor and fruit wine clinked together.
Ying, Lisa, Amber...
Apart from Diluc, the owner of Dawn Winery, and Jean, who was busy with post-disaster reconstruction, everyone who participated in the battle against Stormterror gathered here for a rare celebration after successfully purifying Dvalin.
After three rounds of drinking.
Lisa glanced almost imperceptibly at Lin Jiu'an, who was staring blankly behind the bar.
Their gaze fell on Yura.
The other person was sitting alone at a table, seemingly drinking alone in silence, which was completely out of place with the cheerful atmosphere of the celebration banquet.
Why do you look so down?
“You’ve got it wrong,” Yura said stiffly, looking like she didn’t want to talk to Lisa any longer.
Lisa had anticipated Yora's reaction.
Whenever she saw this girl, she couldn't help but tease her and jokingly tell her some of the Lawrence family's dark history, and the girl was very straightforward, which always made her feel embarrassed.
Lisa didn't know why she cared about things from hundreds or thousands of years ago.
However, she needed to use her in any case.
In just over half a month.
Logically speaking, her relationship with Lin Jiu'an should have progressed rapidly.
To her surprise, her relationship with Lin Jiu'an did not develop further.
The Stormterror incident is now resolved.
Qin will probably come to find Lin Jiu'an in a couple of days.
Lin Jiu'an's coldness these past few days made her somewhat insecure.
She needed to find something for Qin to do to buy herself some time, and the girl in front of her was clearly the perfect choice.
Is it because of what others think of you?
Yura's expression stiffened, but she stubbornly replied, "Does it matter?"
Yura was indeed upset because of how others perceived her.
She had originally thought it would be like her previous life.
Performing heroic deeds in front of the people of Mondstadt will change their impression of you.
She then pressed on, just like in her previous life, to completely change the people of Mondstadt's preconceived notions about her and the Lawrence family, and even allow the Lawrence family to return to Mondstadt.
Who can imagine.
She and Luminous purified Stormterror together, but in the end, the people of Mondstadt did not change their impression of her.
As before, they wouldn't sell her anything. Even when she went to one of the few taverns that would allow her to drink, she could hear the unpleasant whispers from the next table.
She even heard many people instigating others who felt they should change their opinion of her.
They spout nonsense like, "I heard the Stormterror was created by the Lawrence family," "A leopard can't change its spots," and "I heard she joined the Knights only to cause trouble, but thankfully our 'Honorary Knight' and Commander Jean discovered her scheme this time, though they didn't say anything for the sake of Mondstadt."
all in all.
Several days have passed since I became a hero in purifying Dvalin.
But Yura was surprised to find that her and the Lawrence family's reputation had not improved, but had instead deteriorated.
"Is that so? I was thinking of helping you, but it seems I was just being presumptuous."
Lisa had just turned around when she heard Yura say, "Wait a minute!"
Lisa's lips curled slightly as she turned around, while Yura's expression stiffened.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he asked, "What do you want to say?"
Lisa didn't tease her any further. She sat down opposite Yura and said, "Do you know why Mondstadt has such a strong prejudice against you and the Lawrence family?"
Yura's face darkened.
Isn't this obvious?
As a remnant of the old aristocracy, the Lawrence family committed countless wrongdoings in the past. The dark history of the Lawrence family that is recorded today could be discussed for three days and three nights.
Looking at the innocent Yura, Lisa's lips curled up slightly.
"You don't really think that without anyone stirring things up, people would remember things from thousands of years ago, do you?"
Yura's expression froze.
Memories of my past life suddenly surfaced clearly in my mind.
...The dividing line of memories...
The headquarters of the Knights of Favonius.
Yura had just left Qin's office after sparring with her when the recently popular "Honor Knight" blocked her way.
Can we talk?
Perhaps it's because the other party isn't a local of Mondstadt?
Yura saw no disgust, wariness, or tension in his eyes.
and.
If I refuse, wouldn't that mean I'm afraid of him?
Do you want to change the status quo?