Yes, Lady Funina!

"The crackdown on organized crime that I just mentioned!" Fu Ningna replied immediately.

"anything else?"

"Um, resettling Mondstadt refugees and visiting Mondstadt to solve the dragon plague problem for the Mondstadt people." Frynn felt that although Richard was the main force, she had also contributed, so even if she didn't get credit, she should at least have worked hard, right? That dragon named Dvalin was quite terrifying.

"Are there any achievements that would benefit the citizens of Fontainebleau?"

"Sweep...sweep away organized crime and eliminate evil." Fu Ningna started twisting her hands together, and her eyes gradually became lifeless.

"Other than that?"

"..."

They fell silent.

"Didn't Lady Frinina change the tradition of asking for pure water from door to door on the Thousand Spirits Festival to asking for sweets from door to door? 'Trick or treat~☆' like that." Clarind gave an impromptu performance with a blank expression.

"Whoa, Clorind, are you sure that expression means you're coming to ask for candy, or to arrest a criminal?" Furina made a sweating face.

“Ugh…” Clorind was injured.

Once she realized what was happening, Funina immediately teleported to Richard's side and asked, "Hurry up and think of something else I've done that I don't know about but is worth mentioning?"

This question really stumped Richard. He pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head under Funina's expectant gaze and said, "I can't think of anything."

"Could it be that the only thing I can be proud of in my year in office is the special campaign against organized crime that was supposed to be led by Villette?"

"Does solving the serial disappearances of girls and bringing the culprit, Vashj, to justice count?" Richard suddenly thought.

"Not to mention that you deserve the main credit for that case, the serial disappearances of girls are not a political achievement either!" Funina complained.

“Actually, Lady Frinna doesn’t need to care so much about who deserves the main credit, because if we really count it that way, you probably haven’t achieved anything…” Clarind added.

Furina turned and glared at Clorind. Did you need to say anything more about this?

Claude felt wronged. "Wasn't it because I knew you didn't know to remind you?"

“The annual influential person selection has only just begun, and there is still about a month before the selection ends. Lady Funina can think about what achievements she can make in this month,” Richard said.

Upon hearing this, Funina immediately looked at Richard with a pitiful expression, while Richard twitched his lips and said, "Even if you look at me like that, it won't do any good..."

"Does overseeing the reconstruction of the Academy of Sciences count?" Clarinde glanced at Frinna's agenda.

"But how can such a huge workload be completed in just one month?"

“It doesn’t need to be completed. Just hold a reconstruction ceremony, like a ‘tailoring’ ceremony, where the symbolic meaning outweighs the practical meaning. As long as the event is big and we invite more reporters, it should be considered a political achievement, right?” Clorind thought for a moment and replied.

Furina's clear gaze gradually turned to confusion. She circled around Clorind, scrutinizing her, and asked in a puzzled tone, "Clorind, when did you evolve?"

"Lady Frinna, even I get angry and sad," Clarinde reminded her.

Furina took a piece of high-end chocolate from the drawer and handed it to Clarinde Iz for encouragement, then looked at Richard and asked, "Will this work?"

“Theoretically speaking, it’s not a problem. It is indeed a solution. Moreover, Liyue has also contacted us about holding a cultural exchange event between the two countries. If it can be successfully held, it should be considered a political achievement, right?” Richard replied after a moment of contemplation.

"These achievements should be enough. After all, you've only been in office for a year. To have two or three achievements in a year is already much better than other ministers..."

After hearing this, Funina felt relieved. The Water God slammed his hand on the table and looked at Clorinde, saying, "Without further ado, Clorinde, I entrust you with the task of organizing the 'Fundamental Academy Post-Disaster Reconstruction Opening Ceremony'."

"What about you?"

"I'm in charge of attending the groundbreaking ceremony."

Clorinde: ...

P.S.: I was dizzy a couple of days ago, but I'm almost fully recovered now. I'll start updating again soon.

Volume 1: Chapter 101 Saying no with the mouth, but the body says yes

Clarin quickly arranged the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Academy of Sciences. It wasn't that she was particularly efficient, but rather that she went directly to Schwarzer, the current administrative officer of the Fontaine Academy of Sciences, and told him that if he wanted to start construction as soon as possible, he should hurry up and prepare the groundbreaking ceremony.

While Schwartzel was preparing for the groundbreaking ceremony, Claurinde approached Charlotte again, revealing Frynn's recent plans to her and incidentally getting Charlotte a free meal.

Charlotte should thank her for all of this!

The conversation went like this...

“Miss Clorinde, what were you referring to as the big news earlier…” Charlotte was still dressed in her familiar attire, the only difference being the camera in her hand. It looked more exquisite and was quite different from cameras on the market, suggesting it was a custom-made model.

Clarin swallowed the last piece of steak, elegantly wiped her mouth with a damp cloth beside her, and looked at Charlotte, saying, "This is a private meeting now, let's not talk about business."

Charlotte was dumbfounded. Didn't you say you had big news that I came? Why aren't we talking about business now?

So, this meal...

"I won't tell you that the new site for the Fontaine Academy has been chosen, located on a hillside northwest of the original Fontaine Academy, nor will I tell you that Lady Funina will personally preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Fontaine Academy in the middle of this month."

Charlotte is definitely treating everyone to this meal, no matter who comes!

Charlotte called the waiter over, wanting to order two more dishes for her godfather, but was stopped by Clarinde, whose chest was already bulging from eating.

"Thank you, no need, I'm already full."

"But I'm still hungry. Miss Clorinde, would you mind sitting here and chatting with me for a while?" Charlotte was actually already full, but that wouldn't stop her from eating a little more. Maybe while they were eating, Clorinde wouldn't want to talk about business anymore?

"Of course, please do."

Clarinde didn't intend to leave just yet. She watched Charlotte order two more desserts, and after the waiter left, she asked, "Actually, I also wanted to ask about the most influential person of the year..."

"I can't decide that. This selection is usually overseen by the editor-in-chief." Charlotte had just been promoted to a full-time position. Although she had essentially secured the Laville Award this year because of her trip to Mondstadt, she was still just a newcomer to Steambird Newspaper and had no way of participating in the selection of 'Most Influential Person of the Year'.

"I'm not trying to use connections; I just want to ask a question."

“Please speak,” Charlotte replied.

Clarinde took a deep breath, then looked around to make sure there were no spies or anyone noticing them, before whispering:

"I mean, hypothetically, hypothetically. If there is a gentleman whose contributions are enough to qualify him for the 'Most Influential Person of the Year' award, but you happen to have missed him or are unaware of his existence, then could you add him to the list?"

After speaking, Claude immediately fell silent, pretending to be nonchalant as she picked up the glass of water beside her and took a sip, while constantly scanning her surroundings to make sure that her words had not been overheard by a third person.

After listening to Clarinde's words, Charlotte pondered for a moment before replying: "This kind of thing has actually happened before. If the person you're talking about has really made a contribution 'enough to be selected,' then they can be added on the spot."

"Of course, this is also subject to time limits. It is feasible before the final list is released, but it will not be possible after the final list is released, because the entire selection process is considered to be over the moment the final list is released."

Claude nodded slightly to indicate that she understood. She hesitated for a moment and then looked around.

Charlotte, who had already noticed this, said helplessly, "Miss Clorinde, this restaurant is secluded and safe enough that no one will notice us."

“You don’t understand.” Clarind was not relieved by Charlotte’s words; the other woman clearly did not know how terrifying that man’s intelligence network was.

She remained vigilant as she continued in a low voice, "Do you think the city hall's permanent secretary-general is qualified to be on the list?"

You mean Richard?

"Shh! You're too loud!" Clorinde's already aloof face became even colder due to her nervousness. If she weren't worried about attracting too much attention, she probably would have covered Charlotte's mouth to stop her from mentioning that man's name.

"Did Mr. Richard ask you to inquire?" Charlotte mimicked Clarinde's gesture, looking around and asking in a low voice.

“No, no, it doesn’t exist. I was just asking… just asking,” Claude denied outright.

Having learned from Clarinde's previous example of not discussing business, Charlotte quickly understood and said, "I understand, I understand."

Clarin looked at Charlotte and said, "You'd better really understand."

"If it's Secretary-General Li... then he certainly qualifies for the most influential award. But I heard the editor-in-chief say that the officials of Mo Mang Palace don't seem very willing to be on this list, as if they think it's... unlucky?"

Charlotte scratched her head as she spoke, thinking about the previous nominees and their current situations. She felt that what the officials of Mo Mang Palace said made sense.

"Are you sure he wants to be on this list?" Charlotte asked to confirm.

Claurind's response remained ambiguous: "I was just asking out of curiosity, and I had no ulterior motives whatsoever."

Charlotte was puzzled. "You've already asked the question, and you still say you have no subjective opinion... But your question isn't objective either."

"It should be stated beforehand that anyone wishing to be included on this list must give their consent. If the person does not wish to be included, Steambird Newspaper will not register their name on the list out of respect for their privacy."

Upon hearing this, Claurind instinctively asked, "So Lady Fryna agreed to be on that list of the most influential political figures of the year?"

"She should... agree, right? Lady Funina should have received the letter. I remember it was delivered by a newspaper staff member more than a month ago, not through Fontaine's post office system, so it shouldn't have been lost."

"Besides, the newspaper won't put the name on the paper unless they get a definite reply."

Clarinde thought that Frynn was just used to signing autographs and only looked at the title "Person of the Year" without reading the contents before signing it.

Moreover, before Clarinde and Richard mentioned it, Furnessa was unaware that the list of the most influential figures in politics was a cursed 'death list'.

“Thank you, I understand.” Clarinde expressed her gratitude to Charlotte.

"You're welcome, you've helped me a lot too."

Claude's pretty face tightened as she said, "This is a private party today..."

“Let’s not talk about business,” Charlotte continued. “Don’t worry, Miss Clorind, I understand.”

"And please keep what I just asked a secret. Don't tell anyone. I won't acknowledge it after I leave this table."

"Did Miss Clorinde ask anything just now?" Charlotte winked at Clorinde.

“…That’s professional enough.” Clorind acknowledged Charlotte’s level of professionalism.

Before leaving, Claude specifically asked, "Is there any way to bypass the 'personal consent' restriction?"

Clarin quickly realized that her question might have been a bit too pointed, and hurriedly added, "I mean, if someone verbally disagrees, but if you're a little forceful, they'll acquiesce... that kind of thing..."

Clorinde couldn't think of a word to express it for a moment, but Charlotte already understood what Clorinde meant.

"Playing hard to get, right? It's the kind of thing where you say no but your body says no."

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I mean.” Clarind nodded hurriedly. You really know a lot.

“If that’s the case, then we need a middleman that both parties can trust, and that middleman must be authorized by the parties involved,” Charlotte replied. However, that would be too troublesome. If they wanted to publish it in the newspaper, they could just say so directly; there was no need for such a roundabout approach.

Mr. Richard is really not frank! Is this what they call... tsundere (a person with a haughty and arrogant personality) in books?

Haha, it's kind of cute.

Clarin had no idea what Charlotte was thinking. She figured she'd been helping Richard all along, so getting a verbal authorization shouldn't be a problem; she could always record it later if necessary...

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Clarinde's usually cold face. Now she finally had a weapon that could threaten Richard.

Although it is time-sensitive, it is sufficient.

Claude didn't really want to get back at Richard; rather, she learned a lesson from her time with him.

There are some things you may not need, but you can't live without.

Furthermore, Clorind doesn't intend to use it herself, but rather plans to have a more suitable person use it...

——————

"Speaking of which, the backup plan we left behind back then wasn't used," Richard said.

"A backup plan?" Linette paused in her stirring of the tea with the spoon, then continued stirring clockwise. "You mean that letter sent to Lady Funina, the one about the Most Influential Person award?"

“That’s right. Originally, we were just trying to urge Funina to agree to rebuild the Fontaine Academy of Sciences, but we didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. We reached an agreement before we even had a chance to use it,” Richard said with emotion.

"But you still used it in the end, didn't you? Otherwise, why would you have deliberately brought up that competition in the first place?" Lynette took a sip of black tea, but seemed to stick out her little pink tongue because the tea was too hot.

"You figured it out," Richard readily admitted.

"It's too obvious." Lynette carefully blew on the black tea again, took a tentative sip, and only drank it with peace of mind after confirming that the temperature was suitable.

"Speaking of which, aren't you afraid that Lady Funina will come after you when she finds out about your schemes?"

"Don't worry, they won't find me, because it was Clorind's permission. Even if they do find me, they'll be looking for trouble with Clorind."

As Frynn's personal secretary, Clarinde did indeed have the authority to agree to attend events on Frynn's behalf, which was part of her duties as a personal secretary.

"How did you do that?" Lynette asked in surprise.

"It's very simple. I deliberately handed the document to Claudia near the end of the workday and told her that it needed to be finished before she left, or she would have to stay and work overtime. Unfortunately, Claudia had an appointment with Navia that day and couldn't break it. I also told her that it wasn't a particularly important document, and that she only needed to sign it..."

This tactic is often used by civil servants to deal with difficult superiors. To get a superior to sign without asking questions, you have to choose a time when they are flustered, as their attention is often weakest at that moment, making it the easiest time to succeed.

Similarly, Richard simply made a slight modification, using the same techniques that were meant for Frynn on Clarinde.

"Impressive..." Lynette clapped. "But what if someone uses that trick on you too?"

“I’ll never panic, because I have a capable assistant, don’t you think, Lynette?” Richard winked at Lynette.

Lynette's tail stood up immediately, and although her face was expressionless, her tail betrayed her.

—Well, what can I do? I just like the feeling of being relied upon by him.

"Knock, knock, knock." There was a knock on Richard's office door.

"Please come in."