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

It has indeed been a while since I last stayed in the most luxurious "Jewelry Suite" at the Golden Leaf Hotel.

This time, despite being in the same luxurious environment and lying on an overly soft bed, the traveler felt no joy at all. Instead, he felt uncomfortable all over, as if he were wearing ill-fitting clothes, with every cell screaming in discomfort.

Strangely, after last night, Zhong Li never asked any further questions about Elhesen or the room number, as if that awkward confrontation had never happened.

He remained unusually "well-behaved" in the living room/study area of ​​the suite, focusing intently on handling the backlog of matters related to the Wangshengtang branch, a quietness that was unsettling.

As the traveler, slightly hungover and rubbing his head, struggled to get out of bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes, he stepped out of the bedroom and immediately saw that familiar figure already seated behind the desk in the study. The afternoon sun streamed through the large French windows, casting a pale golden glow around him. He was intently reviewing several documents, his demeanor calm and serene, as if he had been sitting there for hours.

“A large-scale anomaly in the cycle of reincarnation occurred recently.” The traveler rubbed his still slightly throbbing temples, deciding to get straight to the point, his voice still hoarse from just waking up: “So a lot of my work progress has been reset. In the few days since you arrived, I’ve been trying to catch up, but since there’s actually a difference of several months in the timeline, many plans and communications have to be redone. Now, the overall progress is much behind schedule.”

She sighed, feeling an invisible pressure at the thought of the people she needed to reconnect with and the revised regulations; every part of her body seemed to be groaning in resistance.

Upon hearing this, Zhongli gently closed the paper he was reading and carefully placed it aside. His golden eyes showed obvious concern, but his question was not about official business: "And you? How have you been these past three months?"

"Me? I'm alright." The traveler subconsciously avoided his overly focused gaze: "This plan... overall it was quite successful, achieving its main objectives. The only flaw is that the work has to be done almost entirely from scratch."

"How about we discuss this further over breakfast?" he suggested casually.

"Breakfast...?" The traveler paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look out the window at the balcony, where warm, slightly orange-yellow light bathed the room, clearly indicating that it was already afternoon.

Zhongli's daily routine has always been regular, perhaps because he doesn't need to sleep. Even if he stays up late the night before, he will always "get up" on time the next day and enjoy his first meal.

At this moment, when it was clearly afternoon, hearing the word "breakfast" from his mouth seemed truly bizarre and abrupt.

He was using this method to indicate something.

"As for what exactly happened to me in Sumeru these past few months, it's a long story, let's save it for tonight." The traveler put down his water glass, trying to steer the conversation back on track: "We'll grab something to eat later, and then I'll take you to see the branch site selection."

“There’s no need to rush.” Zhongli shook his head gently, his voice steady: “Now that things have come to this, if you force yourself to work hard despite your illness (he glanced at her still somewhat pale face and the faint blue under her eyes), it will only damage your health and be a loss. The delay in progress this time is not your fault. The Hall Master is reasonable and will not blame you for this.”

I'm not worried that Hu Tao will blame me for work-related issues. Hu Tao has never been that kind of boss.

However... we spent far too much time in Sumeru this time.

The newly born demon god continues to grow.

Fortunately, we gained the upper hand in Sumeru this time, and the demon god himself had a special obsession that could be used to our advantage, so we barely managed to get through it.

I wonder how terrifying the demons of other countries have become by now.

Thinking of Hu Tao... that seemingly perpetually lively, carefree, and heartless hall master, who single-handedly shouldered everything for the Hall of Rebirth...

"Master Hu, is she... alright?" The traveler's mind involuntarily conjured up images of Hu Tao standing alone at the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth, or perhaps taking a nap on her desk, and a sudden, indescribable pang of sorrow welled up in his heart.

"The Hall Master is well and acts as usual, but..." Zhong Li paused slightly, his gaze gently falling on the traveler's face, "He often thinks of the Deputy Hall Master who is far away from home and working hard."

Hu Tao's silhouette, always alone, planning through countless late nights; the moments of gritting her teeth and persevering through countless reincarnations; and the deep-seated longing for Liyue, for the Hall of Rebirth, and for the Hall Master who always smiled like the sun—all these thoughts surged into her heart like a tide, turning into a strong, bittersweet feeling on the tip of her nose.

She hoped everything would go smoothly in Fontainebleau, and that she would have time to see him. She prayed silently in her heart.

Everything was too rushed this time in Xumi.

Even though they were never idle in each cycle, working hard to push forward and maneuver, they found that after everything settled down, they still couldn't find a moment to breathe. Instead, because of the cycle reset, there were even more and more complicated things to deal with.

“Oh, right.” The traveler was suddenly jolted out of her gloomy mood, remembering that there were still a few urgent matters to attend to: “I have a few important personal matters that I need to deal with immediately. We… see you tonight!” She finished speaking quickly, not caring about Zhongli’s reaction, and almost fled into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with a “bang,” leaving behind the steamy room and her unfinished words.

In the spacious study, only Zhongli remained. He stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the cup of tea on the desk, its aroma wafting gently. After a long while, he let out a barely audible sigh.

*

The traveler's original plan was to reconnect with Seno, whom he had become estranged from due to the cycle of reincarnation, with the help of Kavi. However, upon further reflection, he realized that Kavi was currently overwhelmed with his architectural designs and likely unable to attend to him. This matter, however, couldn't be delayed; while Seno was vigilant, he was also a reasonable and evidence-based person, and his arguments weren't entirely unreasonable.

Ultimately, the traveler chose the most direct approach—to "wait and see" at the location where Sino was sure to appear.

The traveler recounted his interactions and shared experiences with him in previous reincarnations, and subtly brought up the trusted figures of Kawi and Elhesen as corroborating witnesses to bolster his credibility and prove that these "never-happened" events did indeed exist.

*

After successfully handling things on Sino's side, the traveler immediately went to find Tina, who was busy at the forest ranger's post in Huacheng Guo.

She also mentioned the important events concerning the "immortal herb" that had occurred in previous reincarnations, and instructed him that if he ever had the opportunity to obtain a sample or seed of the immortal herb, he must find her immediately so that she could repair the seed.

*

As dusk fell and the soft twilight draped Sumeru City in a warm veil, the traveler finally finished dealing with all the urgent "historical issues," and returned to the Golden Leaf Inn with a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted.

However, she knew that there was one more important thing to do tonight, and it would require the most courage.

……

The rooftop terrace had already been carefully decorated.

The exquisite food was laid out perfectly, and the crystal-clear wine rippled in the glass, reflecting the last magnificent rays of the sunset.

As agreed during the day, the traveler and Zhongli sat facing each other. In the flickering candlelight and rising starlight, she recounted her experiences in Sumeru over the past few months—the thrilling cycles, the intricate games, the indescribable loneliness and perseverance—editing and removing the overly dangerous and private parts, and speaking to him in as calm a tone as possible.

After several rounds of drinks, the cups grew slightly cold, and this story, which straddled reality and illusion, filled with omissions and omissions, finally came to an end. A gentle evening breeze swept by, dispelling the traveler's last lingering hesitation.

She took a deep breath, as if gathering all her courage, then raised her head and looked solemnly and without hesitation into Zhongli's golden eyes, which seemed even deeper in the night, and said to him clearly, word by word:

"Let's make up."