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

"Are you just going to keep playing dumb with him like this?" Elhesen's gaze swept calmly over Jin Moli, who was carefully rearranging the tableware and adjusting the positions of the dishes for the travelers at the table. His tone was devoid of emotion, but the meaning behind his words went straight to the heart of the matter.

The three people present knew perfectly well who he was referring to with the "he" in his words. This straightforwardness without any beating around the bush was typical of Al-Hysen's style.

“I don’t have any substantial evidence.” The traveler picked up his teacup, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the warm porcelain surface. His gaze also fell on Jin Moli’s impeccable profile, which exuded gentleness and obedience. His voice was somewhat low: “Besides… I have to admit, ‘she’ is quite useful. She can help me with a lot of the trivial matters at work, and she takes meticulous care of my daily life.”

She was telling the truth, even though behind that truth lay countless unresolved doubts and a deliberately maintained calm.

Al-Hysen suddenly turned his gaze back to the traveler's face, a glint of something unfathomable flashing in his grey-green eyes. The topic abruptly shifted to a more personal matter that he was clearly more concerned with: "Haven't I taken care of your needs?"

"..." Upon hearing this, the traveler's brows immediately furrowed, a clear hint of displeasure flashing across her face. She put down her teacup, the porcelain making a slight clinking sound as it touched the wooden tabletop: "I'm leaving Sumeru in a couple of days. Before I go, can't you leave me with a few more... pleasant memories? Why do you have to bring up this old grudge?"

*

Let's rewind to about ten minutes ago.

In the bustling, Sumerian-style tavern, the traveler encounters Elhesen, who invites him to sit down (in a rather informal manner).

Just as Jin Moli was about to utter those impeccable words of polite refusal or arrangement, the traveler preemptively greeted her with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm and quickly found a relatively quiet four-person table to sit down.

After all, we really will be leaving in a few days.

It is both polite and reasonable to say goodbye formally to this "partner" with whom I was forced to form a team during my time in Sumeru and went through a lot of troubles together.

In stark contrast to the lingering "caution" and "observation" in the traveler's heart, Elhesen seemed to have already reached a firm conclusion about Jin Moli's identity.

He was very direct, speaking almost without any pretense, and seemed completely unconcerned about potentially "offending" someone important or causing any unforeseen consequences.

The traveler sometimes envies his personality, which almost never suffers from internal conflict. He has clear goals, logical thinking, and decisive actions. He can calmly analyze and categorize all obstacles, and then choose the most efficient way to overcome or eliminate them, rarely being hindered by irrelevant emotions or interpersonal concerns.

Thus, the current situation has come to be.

Several simple dishes, characteristic of Sumeru, were laid out on the table, their aroma wafting through the air. Jin Moli had just poured a cup of hot tea for the traveler, the amber-colored tea swirling gently in the cup.

“In Liyue, there is a rather ancient wisdom about life.” Jin Moli gently placed the silver teapot back in its original position, elegantly folded her hands on her knees, her face still bearing that gentle and modest smile, her voice as soft as a spring breeze: “Its gist is that when a person starts to eagerly compare himself with others, it often means that he has unconsciously fallen behind others in terms of circumstances.”

This response was clever and subtle, carrying the unique, roundabout style of Liyue's counterattack.

“You even lack the courage to show your true self.” Elhesen met Jin Moli’s gaze calmly, his retort equally sharp and to the point: “It seems you don’t even have the qualifications to participate in a ‘comparison’.”

"Cough cough cough... This, this tea is still quite hot." Sensing the subtle, increasingly tense atmosphere in the air, the traveler quickly picked up the cup of hot tea that had just been poured in front of him, trying to interrupt the increasingly dangerous verbal exchange with his actions.

She took a quick sip, but the scalding tea burned her tongue and palate, causing her to cough and her eyes to well up with tears.

“How can you drink freshly brewed hot tea so hastily? You should let it cool for a moment until it’s at a suitable temperature.” Seeing this, Jin Moli immediately stood up, her tone carrying just the right amount of reproach and concern, as if the traveler were just an ignorant child. She turned to the traveler, her gaze gentle, “Wait a moment, I’ll go to the counter and see if I can get some ice.”

Watching Jin Moli turn and walk towards the tavern counter, Elhesen finally turned his gaze back to the traveler's somewhat disheveled face.

“What’s meant to happen will happen sooner or later.” His voice was calm and even: “Even if you forcibly interrupt the process with irrelevant actions, it won’t change the final outcome.”

He calmly attributed the incident of the traveler being scalded to a deliberate attempt to distract himself.

"I really got burned!" The traveler put down his teacup, inhaled the cool air, and felt both amused and annoyed.

She really didn't know what kind of "perfectly strategized" image she had in Elhesen's eyes. Could she really be so clever as to plan even something as seemingly trivial as getting scalded by tea in advance? And to do it in such a slightly self-harming way?

"Don't you know that water has a relatively high specific heat capacity, so it cools down more slowly than many other liquids?" Al-Hysen was genuinely analyzing the traveler's "miscalculation" from a scientific perspective.

"Heh..." After hearing his overly "rational" analysis, the traveler could only respond with an awkward but polite dry laugh, muttering softly, almost to himself, "So... you're the 'ex-boyfriend'..."

Analyzing specific heat capacity at a time like this is typical of Ernst Heisenberg's style.

“If I were still your current boyfriend,” Al-Hysen heard clearly but chose to respond in his own way. He leaned forward slightly, his gray-green eyes focused intently on the traveler, his tone calm yet strangely persuasive: “Then, the water, hot milk, or any drink in front of you will not be placed within your reach until the temperature drops to a comfortable level for your mouth.”

Speaking of...

The traveler paused slightly, then involuntarily began to recall.

It seems that... when I stayed at his house before, the temperature of water, hot milk, or any other hot drink was always just right when it was handed to me, never burning my mouth.

Could it be that just now... he deliberately watched me drink that obviously scalding hot tea?

He was probably just so engrossed in 'bantering' with Kim Jasmine that he didn't notice me for a moment!

"Do you absolutely need him?" Elhesen didn't dwell on the water temperature issue anymore, but instead posed a more direct question.

His gaze was sharp, as if he wanted to see through the traveler's slightly evasive eyes to understand the answer deep within her heart.

"How could I be so desperate for him!" the traveler retorted instinctively, his voice rising slightly before quickly lowering again. He glanced back at Jin Moli, who was still negotiating with the staff at the counter: "Clearly... clearly he's the one who's been clinging to me! I can't shake him off!"

“That’s alright then.” Al-Hysen leaned back in his chair, relaxing a bit, but his eyes remained focused. “Do you need my help? Like… how to get him to reveal his ‘true colors’?” His suggestion sounded calm and pragmatic.

"He... is he really that kind?" A slight alarm bell rang in the traveler's mind, but his curiosity was also very strong.

The struggle lasted only a moment. She quickly made a decision, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice: "How do you want me to cooperate?"

“It’s very simple,” Elhesen stood up, walked around the small dining table, and went to the traveler’s side with natural and smooth movements.

Then, he reached out, his fingertips cool to the touch, and gently cupped the traveler's cheek, turning her face toward him. "You just need to sit here, stay still, and look at me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly bent down.

The traveler understood his intentions almost the instant he approached.

He wanted to use this method to force "Jin Moli," who might be observing from the shadows or might reveal a weakness due to some emotional fluctuation, to react.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest like an out-of-control drumstick, making my eardrums buzz.

A surge of heat rushed to her cheeks, and her breathing became rapid. Reason screamed at her to push him away, questioning what she was doing, but a deeper, more profound impulse to verify a certain guess, and an inexplicable trust in Elhesen's "plan," kept her frozen in place. Even as his face slowly approached, she involuntarily and very slightly tilted her head back to meet his shadow.

She could clearly see his lowered eyelashes and feel his steady breathing brush against the hair on her forehead.

Time seemed to stretch out and stand still; the noise of the surrounding pubs, the aroma of food, and even the movement of the air all faded into a blurred background.

Just as their faces were so close they could almost count each other's eyelashes, their warm breaths mingled, and the traveler could even smell a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance emanating from him...

Extremely familiar footsteps abruptly and clearly cut into this almost frozen space and time.

Immediately afterwards, a sleeve embroidered with intricate patterns in dark gold thread unexpectedly entered the edge of the traveler's slightly widened vision due to tension.

That hand, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles, grabbed Elhesen's wrist, which was supporting the traveler's cheek.

The force wasn't rough, but it forcefully pulled Elhesen's hand away from the traveler's face, also interrupting the tentative, almost-completed bending motion.

The delicate gold thread patterns on the sleeves reflected a cold luster under the dim lights of the tavern.