Liyue Harbor.
The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was approaching.
Orange sunlight filtered through the clouds, quietly illuminating every inch of Liyue Harbor.
The common folk on the streets were packing up their stalls, preparing to head home for a rest after a day of hard work.
However, Yujing Terrace was just beginning to liven up.
An auction was being held here.
Before the auction even started, Yujing Terrace was already packed with people, standing in three inner and three outer circles.
Everyone stood outside the venue, discussing animatedly, full of curiosity.
Today's auction seemed exceptionally lively, with many more wealthy merchants attending than usual.
Under everyone's gaze, those affluent merchants had already entered the venue and taken their seats, quietly waiting for the auction to begin.
It was said that this auction had many good items: antiques, treasures, unique inventions—everything imaginable.
Of course,
the real reason that attracted the wealthy merchants to participate in the auction
was that a very important person had also arrived at the venue tonight.
Everyone almost unconsciously looked towards the central seating area.
A man sat there, surrounded by three secretaries.
He had white hair, beautiful and breathtakingly stunning.
His beautiful eyes, like magnificent rubies, were bright and sparkling; just one glance would make one fall into them.
His skin was as fair and translucent as Milk, and his tender, smooth back made people unable to resist taking a few more glances.
Facing the gazes cast upon him by the crowd, Ningguang seemed completely unfazed.
His every gesture exuded a noble and elegant aura, truly a cold and aloof elder brother.
This made countless people hesitate, not daring to approach.
The man's name was Ningguang.
He was Tianquan Star of the Liyue Seven Stars.
Wherever Ningguang appeared, even if he didn't speak and just sat there quietly, he would become the focal point of everyone's attention.
The reason was simple: Ningguang had many labels.
Graceful and charming, captivating all.
He knew all the secrets of Liyue.
He was the wealthiest man in Liyue.
For Ningguang, even useless items, if they were in his hands, could be sold at a high price.
These labels always made Ningguang the topic of conversation among merchants.
In fact, these merchants came tonight entirely for Ningguang.
This was because the last item of tonight's auction was the auction of Ningguang's time.
Whoever won the auction would have the opportunity to dine with Ningguang.
In reality, this was not the first time Ningguang had sold his time.
Many wealthy merchants were willing to spend tens of millions of Mora to get a chance to dine with Ningguang.
And the reason why merchants spent such high prices was actually very simple.
They mainly wanted to inquire about Liyue's future business opportunities from Ningguang, or perhaps they were confused about their current situation and sought guidance and advice from Ningguang.
Almost all merchants who were fortunate enough to dine with Ningguang had the same saying:
"Although it cost tens of millions of Mora, Tianquan's guidance allowed me to multiply my capital several times over, principal and interest included."
Because of this, merchants were willing to spend heavily to purchase Ningguang's time.
...
At this moment,
Tianquan Ningguang sat quietly on a chair, occasionally instructing his secretaries about tomorrow's matters.
Ningguang had no interest in the items in the auction hall.
He only needed a brief glance to know the value of these items.
The reason he remained there was simply to wait for the process to reach the end and see who would buy his time.
When he had nothing to do, Ningguang would lower his head and play with the pipe in his hand.
The pipe was made of top-grade jade, appearing crystal clear and exquisitely crafted, perfectly matching Ningguang's temperament.
However, Ningguang did not actually have a habit of smoking.
The reason he always carried this pipe with him was simply because it was given to him by a very important person.
Only when he had this pipe in his hand would Ningguang feel a little at ease,
feeling as if that person was by his side.
Ningguang looked up at the fiery clouds in the sky, his thoughts drifting.
Speaking of which, he hadn't seen that person in a long time.
He missed him quite a bit, just a tiny bit.
Ningguang estimated that he had fewer matters to attend to during this period.
Since that person wasn't coming to Liyue, he might as well put aside his work and go find him.
Thinking this, a faint smile appeared on Ningguang's face.
The smile was hard to detect but came from the heart.
Baiwen, standing nearby, saw it and immediately said, "Is there any antique that interests you, Lord Ningguang?"
Upon hearing this, Ningguang slowly replied, "No, I just suddenly thought of someone who interests me."
For a moment, Baiwen showed a surprised expression.
Was there actually someone in this world who could interest Lord Ningguang?
Since Baiwen had followed Ningguang, this was the first time he had heard Ningguang express interest in someone.
How unique must that person be?
Ningguang stopped speaking and quietly arranged his schedule for the next few days.
As he pondered, his gaze unintentionally fell upon the crowd not far away.
In the vast sea of people, a figure's back instantly caught Ningguang's attention.
At that moment, Ningguang, who was always composed, could not maintain his inner calm.
Although it was just a fleeting glimpse of a retreating back, Ningguang recognized the person he had been longing for at first sight.
That fellow...
He had clearly returned to Liyue, so why didn't he inform him?
Ningguang's eyes showed a hint of resentment, and he was completely in a bad mood.
He quickly stood up and, without looking back, ordered his secretary, "Cancel tonight's dinner engagement. I have other arrangements."
As he spoke, Ningguang was already striding quickly to catch up with the retreating figure.
This scene naturally surprised everyone present.
What happened to Lord Ningguang?
Why did he suddenly change his plans?
The three secretaries who always followed Ningguang also exchanged glances at this moment.
This was the first time Lord Ningguang, who was always calm and composed, had shown such a hurried and anxious appearance.
...
Meanwhile, back to Ningguang.
Ningguang knew the terrain of Liyue far better than that person.
He quickly caught up with that person and cornered him in a deserted alley.
"Why are you hiding from me? Do I look scary?"
Ningguang crossed his arms over his chest. His tone was very displeased, filled with deep resentment.
The person turned around; it was Makoto, the one Ningguang had been longing for.
Twenty years had passed, but Makoto was still the same young man as before, without a single change.
Makoto scratched his head and said with a smile, "Who said my Ningguang looks scary? I'd be the first to disagree."
Ningguang took a step forward, closing the distance between him and Makoto.
He was very imposing, his eyes fixed on Makoto: "Then why are you hiding from me, Makoto, avoiding me?"
Makoto explained with a wry smile, "This time, returning to Liyue, I was planning to find you."
"But I saw you were busy working hard to earn money, so I didn't want to disturb you."
After arriving in Liyue, Makoto immediately went to find Ningguang.
However, he saw that Ningguang was busy with work.
So he decided to wander around the changed Liyue first.
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