Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

Tea ceremony experience area.

The room was softly lit, with the bamboo blinds half-rolled up, letting in a few rays of moonlight.

The tea ceremony teacher, dressed in traditional Inazuma attire, is handling the tea utensils with precise and elegant movements.

Ayato and Zhongli sat facing each other, with a low tea table between them.

The aroma of tea wafted between the two of them.

Zhongli gently held the teacup with his slender fingers, first inhaling the aroma of the tea, then taking a sip: "Hmm, not bad. Inazuma's tea ceremony is indeed unique. The matcha ceremony is especially distinctive; the strong tea is bitter yet pure, paired with extremely sweet wagashi (Japanese sweets), the resulting flavor is truly worth savoring."

"Mr. Zhongli truly lives up to his reputation as a guest of the Hall of Rebirth; he is learned and talented." Lingren smiled and put down her cup.

"You flatter me, Lord Lieutenant. It's all thanks to the Deputy Hall Master's excellent guidance." Zhongli's habit of always mentioning travelers made Lingren frown slightly.

The atmosphere in the tea room was subtly shifting.

The tea master seemed to sense something, and his movements became even gentler, making almost no sound.

“Mr. Zhongli is no ordinary person; he is probably more than just a guest minister.” Ayato suddenly spoke, her voice gentle yet probing.

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. I am but a leisurely person with no lofty ambitions. I am only able to serve as a guest of the Hall of Rebirth thanks to the Hall Master's appreciation." Zhongli also gently put down his teacup, the porcelain touching the wooden table with a crisp sound.

“Mr. Zhongli, you are too modest.” Aya raised her hand in acknowledgment, and the tea master immediately understood, bowed, and left the tea room.

When only the two of them remained in the room, Zhongli, holding his teacup, said, "Lord She Fengxing, why don't you guess who I am?"

"What does it matter what one's identity or status? It's simply a difference between a caged bird and a sparrow in the sky." Ayato's voice suddenly lowered: "Birds, after all, must find a place to land. A sparrow in the sky is also a caged bird, and a caged bird can also be a sparrow in the sky."

Zhongli's eyes flickered slightly: "I have a different opinion. A sparrow in the sky cannot be a caged bird, and a caged bird cannot be a sparrow in the sky. If you forcibly switch their roles, the result will only be the bird dying and the cage empty."

"So, we shouldn't force it, and let it be based on personal preference?" Ayato pressed.

"It's easy for a bird in the sky to be a caged bird. But it's difficult for a caged bird to be forced into the air." Zhongli lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a shadow: "Broken wings, three meals a day, nowhere to settle down."

"So, Mr. Zhongli witnessed firsthand the transformation of the caged bird into a bird in the sky?" Ayato unconsciously clenched her hands tighter.

“It was my own doing.” Zhong Li’s voice was almost inaudible, and a barely perceptible glint flashed between his brows.

"So, there's such a story behind it." Ayato tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. "Now that things have come to this, how does the master intend to deal with it?"

“I want to be no different from Lord She Fengxing,” Zhongli said solemnly.

"If it were me..."

“She is not you,” Zhongli interrupted crisply.

A brief silence fell over the tea room. The noise of a festival drifted in from outside the window, making the stillness seem even more pronounced.

“Mr. Zhongli seems confident of victory,” Ayato finally broke the silence.

"There are many hidden details, and she is not as completely uninhibited as Lord Shefeng believed." Zhongli downed his tea in one gulp, then turned the teacup upside down on the table. "Three cups of tea have been served; the situation should be clear by now."

"In my opinion, the outcome of this game is still uncertain." A dark glint flashed in Ayato's eyes.

"Hehe, you're still young." Zhongli's voice carried a hint of elder's tolerance: "A bit of competitiveness is good, but unfortunately, this game is truly for the observers. Without the observers, it's meaningless. The outcome isn't determined on the chessboard, but rather by the observers' own judgment; there's no need to play anymore." With that, he slowly stood up.

“A person who gives up halfway cannot sit in the position of magistrate.” Ayato continued to sip his tea slowly, his tone calm but with a hidden edge.

“My Lordship, please proceed.” Zhongli felt he had said enough.

“I’m afraid there are more than just the two of us on the chessboard.” Ayato suddenly looked up, meeting Zhongli’s eyes directly. “If other players cause the observers to be skewed, how would you, sir, respond?”

"Respond to all changes with constancy, and respond to all changes with change." Zhongli's answer was watertight.

"My sister, the traveler, has a close personal relationship with the general; I'm afraid she won't be returning tonight." Ayato changed the subject, setting down her teacup with a soft thud. "The tea is weak; how about we drink some wine and continue our conversation?"

Unlike the tense atmosphere just now, Zhongli's lips curled into a slight smile: "Since it's Lord She Fengxing who's hosting, I'd like to go along. I'm also somewhat interested in this general, so let me explain."

*

At this moment, the traveler is sitting on the corridor of the Kamisato House, enjoying Thomas's foot massage service.

The moonlight, like water, shone down on the two of them.

"Thoma, I might not like the opposite sex," the traveler suddenly said, with an ice pop still dangling from his mouth.

"Huh?" Thomas paused in his actions. "Miss Ayaka is still young...this isn't appropriate."

“I mean your general,” the traveler mumbled.

"General..." Thomas raised his voice in surprise, then lowered it again: "General?"

“Exactly!” The traveler spat out his popsicle, looking serious. “Anyway, I’m not really sure… I’m so confused!”

The cherry blossoms in the courtyard swayed gently in the night breeze, and a few petals drifted down onto the corridor.

The conversation shifted from indoors to outdoors, moving from the question of whether or not to get married to the traveler's romantic dilemmas.

“I didn’t force you to date anyone.” Thomas continued his work, his pressure just right. “So don’t be nervous.”

"I'm just confused about this." The traveler looked at the popsicle in his hand and suddenly lost his appetite: "I'm really confused... I'm not sure."

She handed the popsicle to Thomas: "Take this, Thomas."

"The patriarch certainly has many virtues, but this is not a virtue, so please don't try to emulate it." Thomas said this, but then stretched his neck and bit the traveler's unfinished popsicle.

"You're really suited for marriage," the traveler couldn't help but exclaim.

Thomas swallowed his popsicle in one gulp and said helplessly, "Please don't say things like that anymore. I'll start daydreaming about unrealistic things."

"Let's eat watermelon!" The traveler suddenly perked up and reached for the half-cut watermelon next to him.

"Won't your stomach feel uncomfortable eating like this?" Thomas asked incredulously.

“How could that be?” The traveler had already scooped out a large spoonful of watermelon. “Thoma, I’m hungry. Cook me two dishes!” she commanded, pointing at him with the spoon.

"Huh? Stir-fried dishes?" Thomas's eyes widened. "After eating popsicles and watermelon, you're going to eat Liyue's stir-fried dishes? Your stomach is definitely going to be in turmoil tonight."

He shook his head: "Wait a little longer, if you're not sleepy yet."

"Thoma! You're so perfect for... ugh, you're such a good person!" The traveler pulled back his feet and leaned against him. "Marrying you would be so wonderful."

"But?" Thomas sighed softly.

"But I always feel like something's missing... What is it?" The traveler scooped out another spoonful of watermelon, lost in thought.

"Are you not planning to settle down yet? Can't you give up traveling compared to a stable life?" Thomas bluntly put it.

"That seems to be it!" The traveler sat bolt upright. "Traveling seems to have taken up all my energy."

This kind of life is pretty good.

“Then let’s think about it after the trip.” Thomas’s voice was gentle yet firm. “Every journey eventually comes to an end. Teyvat is only so big. Maybe when you reach the end, the first name that comes to mind will be the one you love.”

"Let's talk about it after the trip!" The traveler suddenly felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, but then something else occurred to him: "But what if that person isn't you? Won't you be very sad?"

“Ah, back then…” Thomas gazed at the distant moon, paused for a moment, “I haven’t thought about it yet. But I think if you’re happy, I’ll be happy for you too.” He turned to the traveler with a warm smile: “What can I say, Thomas’s a kind old man.”

"Thoma, you're such a good person, sob sob sob!" The traveler suddenly had tears in his eyes.

"Haha, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take you away, I can't beat you anyway," Thomas joked, trying to ease the tension.

"So, only by becoming the strongest in all of Teyvat can one choose freely?" The traveler suddenly clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit: "I'll increase my strength even further... and then do whatever I want!"

*

Meanwhile, inside an izakaya (Japanese pub).

Zhongli and Shenli Lingren actually had a very pleasant conversation at the dinner table, and even started composing poems and drinking together.

Their voices echoed in the candlelight...

"The fireworks have faded, but the wine is still warm; why ask about the return journey when you've come from afar?"

"All my scheming and plotting could not keep them; it's like a bird that will not perch on a beam."

"It was a wasted effort."

Two men, each with their own worries, found a rare moment of resonance on this enchanting night.